One in eight children enrolled at the Australian National University's childcare centres could be turned away from its new facilities.
Parents of the 230 children enrolled at the four centres set to close at the end of this year have been told they cannot be guaranteed a place.
The two new demountable-style childcare centres, which the ANU is building at a cost of $8 million, will only have 200 places between them.
Students and university employees will be prioritised, leaving Peter O'Rourke's two son's, aged 2 and 4, in the lurch.
Mr O'Rourke is a former ANU employee and his boys, who attend the Cubby House on Campus centre, are not on any other waiting list.
He does not know what he will do next year.
"It's kind of a week-by-week thing," he told The Canberra Times.
"It is disruptive for the kids ... I hope the people making these decisions understand what it is like to try to get kids into childcare, and the impact it's going to have for everyone involved."
Mr O'Rourke, who is on the board at Cubby House, said staff were also facing uncertainty.
He said the university's position was unfair on families who worked nearby or had previously worked for the university.
ANU director of commercial management and procurement Si Kayser broke the news at a town hall on Wednesday evening.
The university told parents a month ago that it planned to close their beloved community childcare centres.
The ANU decision is based on an expert heritage report in October recommending it abandon plans to undertake extensive hail remediation.
The university has advised parents that, should there be a delay in completing work on a second demountable-style facility to open in January, they may come to an arrangement.
This is understood to mean that one of the existing centres may be allowed to continue operating on an interim basis.
However, the university believes that the works will be completed by mid-December.
The centres that will be closed at the end of the year are Acton Early Childhood Centre, Cubby House on Campus, University Preschool and Child Care Centre and Heritage Early Childhood Centre.
Community run and not-for-profit, the centres benefit from peppercorn leases that have been in place for decades, allowing them to pay only nominal rent.
The university has given the operators a chance to pitch for the contracts to run the new facilities, before going to tender. Providers have been advised to include commercial rent in their proposals, which will be considered in the coming week.
An ANU spokesperson said the university was "committed to providing our staff and students access to convenient, safe and sustainable childcare on the ANU campus" and that prioritisation of students and staff was the policy of the existing centres.
"This is a long-standing and well-known arrangement among the four providers and their users," the spokesperson said.
"The university is continuing to support ANU staff and students with children by providing high-quality options on campus.
"ANU families will continue to be prioritised for enrolment in the two new centres on the university's campus."
