IT Tallaght creche set to reopen
A breakthrough has finally been made in relation to the closure of the Fledglings crèche in IT Tallaght.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and Dublin Southwest Independent TD, Katherine Zappone confirmed on Sunday evening that the facility will reopen on September 18.
The news comes after months of uncertainty, and will hopefully be good news for the 30 students and 14 staff at the on-campus facility.
In a statement, Minister Zappone said: “We worked closely with the South Dublin County Childcare Committee, the management at IT Tallaght as well as the provider and Pobal to secure this solution.
“Much of this work over many weeks was carried out behind the scenes and away from the public spotlight.
“As a result families using the services of the crèche will not only enjoy the continuation of their service but will also have access to the big improvements we are making in the whole area of childcare.
“As Minister and the local Independent TD I want to acknowledge the hard work of all.”
The college announced in July that Fledglings créche had lost the bid to tender the service, despite operating in the college for seven years.
Several meetings between crèche staff, students and IT Tallaght’s Student Union took place before college officials finally agreed to meet last month.
According to the minutes taken at the meeting and seen by The Echo, the college was unsure of what government funding they would receive, which caused uncertainty with regards to the upcoming budget.
The college said they were also delayed by the unavailability of any relevant members of college staff being available for tender inquiries from incoming applicants.
We will have more on this story in this week’s Echo, in shops on Thursday.
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