Welcome to the future of childcare
Established in 2022, Bub Hub Blue Mountains Inc is a community-led, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to creating and advocating for flexible, affordable, and high-quality childcare solutions for local families.We acknowledge that we live, work and raise our children on unceded Dharug and Gundungurra lands and pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
About our work
We live in a childcare desert, and families are feeling it. Parents are facing impossible choices and waitlists that stretch for months, if not years. Bub Hub Blue Mountains was created by local mums to change this. We’re co-designing the childcare our community deserves: flexible, family-centred, and community-led, with a strong commitment to supporting women to participate in work and study while caring for their children.Over the past three years, Bub Hub has shown that trusted, high-quality care can grow from grassroots alternatives like co-working with on-site childcare. At the same time, the wider childcare situation in our local area has worsened. So now we’re entering our next phase: strengthening advocacy, expanding options, and building sustainable, community-led childcare, driving childcare innovation and fighting for childcare justice.We need people with skills, vision, and passion to help shape what comes next. We are for the community, by the community. Join us!
Photo: Children with our childcare team at our co-working space with onsite childcare (Tanderra, Springwood)
Co-Working with On-Site Childcare
Update: December 2025We are not currently running co-working with on-site childcare sessions at Springwood and Lawson. Without government support, our ability to fundraise to keep these sessions affordable and accessible has reached its limit.We’re now focusing our energy on securing sustainable funding so we can bring back services that are high-quality, community-led, and financially viable for families. This includes exploring new funding pathways, research partnerships, and policy reforms that recognise the value of flexible, place-based childcare models in our region. Our goal is to run a co-working with on-site childcare service that is well-resourced, fairly funded, and not dependent on high levels of unpaid labour.If you have questions or would like more information, please email [email protected]We’re always happy to connect with our community.
How does co-working with onsite childcare work?
Our venues have two rooms in close proximity: one room for childcare and the other for co-working.While our primary goal is for children to be in the childcare room and parents to be in the co-working area, we prioritise flexibility. Parents might be found settling children, feeding, changing nappies, or working in the childcare space to support gentle transitions.Our childcare service operates under voluntary mobile creche care guidelines with a carefully maintained staff-to-child ratio of one carer per four children. Each session is supervised by an experienced professional with a minimum of five years in the industry. All staff, including volunteers, are thoroughly vetted with working with children checks and hold current first aid certifications.Parents must remain on-site throughout the session. Our staff can assist with feeding and nap settling, but require parents to provide necessary items like prams, comforters, or porta cots. While staff will feed and settle children, they cannot perform nappy changes or toilet assistance, and will contact parents when such needs arise.We require parents to bring appropriate snacks and water for their children. A strict no nuts policy is enforced, so please ensure all provided food is nut-free. To maintain a healthy environment, we ask that children with cold or flu symptoms remain at home.As outdoor play is a regular part of our childcare program, we request parents apply sunscreen and any insect repellents before the session and provide sun hats for their children. On colder days, please bring outdoor coats and warm attire.Our childcare team is committed to working collaboratively with parents to create the most supportive environment for each child's needs. Please let us know how best to support you.
Photo: gentle transitions. Baby happy with mum close by in our children's space at Tanderra, Springwood.
2026 Committee
Photo: New committee members Katie Kinder (President) and Jessica Horsfall, both committed and active parents advocating for childcare justice in the mid-mountains.
We held our most recent AGM in November 2025.Our 2026 Committee is as follows:
President — Katie Kinder
Vice President — Chanelle Henderson
Treasurer — Jo Hurley
Secretary — Jenna Condie
Staff Liaison — Sarah O’Carrigan
WHS Officer — Mel Newman
General Members — Emma Parker, Cathryn Ferreira, Clio Collar, Jessica Horsfall.We welcome new committee members joining us throughout the year.If you would like to join our committee, or would like a copy of our annual report or AGM minutes, please email Jenna Condie (Secretary) on [email protected]
Photo: Our 2022-2025 President Emma Parker receiving flowers from Sarah O'Carrigan (co-founder) for her years of dedication to Bub Hub. Emma leaves the role but not the committee, we’re so grateful she’s sticking with us into 2026!
Our Community Events
We run a number of annual community events to raise funds to ensure affordable session rates for families, and ethical pay for staff for our co-working with on-site childcare sessions. Over time, these fundraising events have taken on a life of their own. Families love them, and they’ve become a joyful way for us to stay connected with our community while continuing to raise essential funds for our mission.In 2026, we are working hard to continue our child-centred, family-friendly event series, including our Family Fun Day in January (Gloria Park, Hazelbrook), our Easter Egg Trail in April (Gloria Park, Hazelbrook), and our much loved Halloween Disco in October (Mid-Mountains Community Centre, Lawson).These events bring joy, connection, and play, while supporting and amplifying our mission for better childcare across the Blue Mountains!
Blue Mountains Parents Noticeboard
We started Bub Hub Blue Mountains with nothing more than a closed Facebook Group! From the beginning, the idea of blending co-working with childcare sparked huge interest. Within weeks of sharing the concept through local networks, almost 700 parents had joined, many looking for alternatives to long childcare waitlists, and others seeking a gentle, relationship-based transition into non-parental care for their children.As Bub Hub evolved, we outgrew using the Facebook Group to organise our co-working-childcare sessions. But rather than lose this incredible community, we transformed the Group into the Blue Mountains Parents NoticeBoard. It's now a shared space for local families to exchange information, ask questions, and share events and opportunities.We still host and look after the Group, and we’d love you to join us there. Just click the button below.