KU Annual Report KU Annual Report 2017 | Page 14

ANNUAL REPORT 2017 S U STA I N A B LE, S C A L A B LE BUSINESS MODEL Introducing KU Figtree KU 20 17 “We knew right away that a transition to KU would be a really positive step forward for our preschool and community. We literally couldn’t wait to become ‘KU Figtree’!” Key to KU’s ability to continue shaping children’s lives through education, are both our financially sustainable business model and our strong commitment to the reinvestment of surplus in quality services, programs and staff. Both are most effective when we are responsive to community needs. When KU is able to invest in scaling up, or expanding our reach into new communities, we are able to provide high quality education to more children – it’s as simple as that. Similarly, when we are able to invest in owning the properties that accommodate our services, we can secure the tenure of those services for the future. 8 KU was able to do both in 2017, having purchased a property in the leafy Illawarra suburb of Figtree, along with the St Columba Uniting Preschool it housed. The purchase has been warmly welcomed by the local community as having saved the preschool, the future of which was in doubt when plans to sell the site were announced earlier this year. KU has been operating preschools in the Illawarra for more than half a century, and we are pleased to welcome the staff and families at St Columba Uniting Preschool, now KU Figtree, into the KU family.