Children are back inside Only About Children Maroubra, returning to familiar routines in a restored early learning centre that spent 15 months recovering from an antisemitic arson attack.
A Return To The Maroubra Centre
The centre’s official reopening on Saturday, 2 May, brought children, families, educators and local community members back to the Maroubra site after an extensive rebuild. The day marked more than the repair of a damaged building. It restored the centre’s role as a place of care, learning and everyday routine for local families.
Children had already begun returning to the fully restored space, settling back into classrooms and surroundings made familiar again after a long period away from the original campus. The centre is now operational and welcoming children back to care.
For families and educators, the reopening followed months of disruption, adjustment and repair. The rebuild took more than 12 months, with care taken to make the centre feel safe again for those returning.
From Attack To Temporary Home
Only About Children Maroubra closed on 21 January 2025 after the centre was set alight and marked with antisemitic graffiti in the early hours of the morning. The attack left the building severely damaged and forced the service to stop operating from its usual campus.
Less than two months later, the preschool reopened temporarily at a nearby community facility. The move allowed children, families and educators to remain connected while the damaged centre was repaired.
The temporary site became part of the centre’s recovery, giving children a place to continue learning while the original Maroubra building was restored.
A Centre Rebuilt For Everyday Care
The restored centre now gives families and educators a permanent base again. Its reopening closes a difficult stretch for a service that has welcomed families from different backgrounds across the local area for many years.
Saturday’s reopening included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a strong family turnout and children’s activities, including face painting. The event carried a celebratory tone, but the main change was practical and immediate: children were back, educators were back, and the centre had resumed care from its restored campus.
Only About Children Maroubra now begins its next chapter after 15 months of disruption, with its classrooms reopened and children once again filling the centre’s daily rhythm.
Published 5-May-2026
