Childcare centre expected to reopen next month

By Mary Dennehy

ST MARY’S Community Childcare Service, which closed before the summer, is expected to re-open in late September, The Echo has learned.

The closure of the popular childcare service saw more than 80 pre-schoolers left without a place for this September – and around 20 experienced staff members unemployed.

As reported on in The Echo earlier, the Dublin West Early Years, which runs four community childcare services in Clondalkin and Lucan, has expressed its interest in re-opening the not-for-profit, community pre-school – for which it believes there is a “demand”.

This week, the Dublin West Early Years and other interested parties are being invited to make a submission of interest in relation to running the community childcare facility – which is the feeder pre-school for St Mary’s National School.

While on the grounds of St Mary’s NS, the pre-school will be run separately by whoever is awarded the contract by the school’s Board of Management.

Larry O’Neill, CEO of South Dublin County Partnership and the Chair of Dublin West Early Years, told The Echo: “There’s not much I can say about it at this stage until we know who is given the contract after the expression of interest process.

“However, we’re pretty confident that the pre-school will re-open in late September.”

As the liquidation of the former company is ongoing and a new company will be created, The Echo has been told that there is no guarantee that the staff who lost their jobs will be rehired – the new company may have to engage in an open recruitment drive.

Decisions around staffing will be made after the expression of interest process is finalised.