SDN Surry Hills celebrates 105 years of educating and caring for children

Children and families from SDN Children’s Services Surry Hills gathered together early in May to celebrate the 105th anniversary of the service, joined by centre staff and honoured guests. 

The 105th anniversary celebration was an opportunity for members of the SDN village past and present to unite and commemorate the service’s long history of promoting children’s learning, wellbeing, and development.

Children participated in the celebration by preparing a creative banner that hung proudly in the outdoor play area, and joined in a hearty rendition of Happy Birthday to the service. 

Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, shared the long history of SDN Surry Hills, its philanthropic beginnings, and the various buildings out of which it has operated over the years.

SDN CEO Kay Turner welcomed current and former children, families, staff and thanked the City of Sydney (owners of the site of SDN Surry Hills) for their support.

The City of Sydney offers a rent reduction that helps SDN to reduce fees for families on low incomes enrolled across the four centres that SDN leases from the City of Sydney.

“As a not-for-profit, SDN invests any profit back into the services we offer, including investments in our staff who all have above award pay and conditions. We continue to do what we can to make sure children who might otherwise miss out have access to quality early childhood education and care,” Ms Turner said.

SDN Surry Hills is an early childhood education and care centre providing long day care and preschool for 60 children each day aged from birth to six years.

Following the founding of Sydney Day Nurseries’ initial nursery in Woolloomooloo in 1905, the first Surry Hills nursery was opened on 8 April 1918.

Read more about SDN Surry Hills’ unique 105-year history here.