Full funding in place for Childcare Centre

The long-awaited plan to have a state-of-the-art purpose-built Kilcullen Childcare Centre moved several steps closer this week with news that all of the funding is now in place to begin construction of the Centre in Spring 2013, writes Orla O'Neill.

The Centre’s organisers got word last night (19th December) that Leader has approved 75% of the funding needed to build the Centre. They also received news yesterday that their application for a loan of €80,000 to Clann Credo, a social finance organisation, was approved. The balance of the funding has come from a grant from Kildare County Council and local fundraising. The total build cost will be in the region of €500,000.

“We are thrilled with the news from both Leader and Clann Credo in the last 24 hours, which means we are definitely on the way to having a new Childcare Centre in place for September 2013,” said Iseult O’Donoghue, Chair, Naomh Bríde Community Playgroup and a Director of Kilcullen Childcare Centre.

“This is the result of years of hard work by many people, and what kept the project going was our collective vision for a quality Childcare Centre for all the children of Kilcullen, regardless of their ability or economic circumstances.”

The group also got news yesterday of a grant of €10,000 from National Lottery for equipment and furniture for the Centre. Last week, the group signed a lease for the Childcare Centre site with Kilcullen Community Centre, bringing to a close a history of setbacks which had stalled the project for several years.

The new Childcare Centre will be built on a site close to the current community playgroup premises at the back of Kilcullen Community Complex. Naomh Bríde playgroup, which has operated since the 1970s, provides the free preschool year and will move to the new Centre in September. Services will not be disrupted during construction, which is expected to begin in March 2013.