Sheila Lumb, treasurer of the parent committee, told Nursery World that a decision on new premises will be made this week.
'We changed from a steering group to save the nursery, to a group to set up the new nursery,' she said. 'If this comes off, it proves we can do it.'
She said the staff were good at 'understanding the specific needs of student parents' and many parents at the college nursery wanted to continue that relationship.
Ms Lumb, whose granddaughter attended the college nursery, said she understood how important childcare was for students.
'I was a student parent myself. When I went to university there wasn't much childcare available, except a creche. It was a logistical nightmare. You could have a situation where people cannot go to college.'
The new nursery will be open all year for students and the wider community and also offer holiday childcare. The college nursery had 75 children on its books when it closed and the intention is to open a nursery of a similar size. There are also plans for a holiday club in the summer.
The majority of the nursery staff have chosen to stay on with the new venture.
Ms Lumb said the college had been 'very supportive' and had donated equipment and resources from the old nursery. They have also helped the committee with their business plan and on marketing the nursery.
The college decided in March to close the nursery at the end of July to convert it into teaching space.
Graham Hodgson, assistant principal, said the decision to close it had been very difficult, but student numbers were increasing across the curriculum in higher education and in 14-19 diplomas.
He said, 'At this moment we have 500 students we cannot accommodate on campus. We want to use as much of the floor area as possible for teaching and learning and we have areas of the curriculum currently off-site.'
The college will continue to fund childcare places for students who choose to take up a place at the new nursery.
