Next development of Childcare Centre gets under way

Caryl Traynor.

The next stage in the development of the Kilcullen Community Childcare Centre (KCCEC) will get under way over coming weeks with the fencing in and levelling of a new open-air play area at the back, writes Brian Byrne.

KCCEC Chairman Caryl Traynor says the development will make an 'enormous' difference to the quality of outdoor play for the some 90 children who are currently enrolled at the Centre. "It's cramped for outdoor play at the moment, though we're very lucky to be able to avail of the all-weather pitch when nobody else is using it," he told the Diary. "With the new space we'll be able to have them all the time in a secure place with lots of space and facilities."

The existing outside play area, at the front of the building.

The plan is to have half the new section covered in an all-weather soft surface, and the rest in grass and gardens. "We'll have a covered area, and they will be able to play outside all year round. We'll also be able to introduce more things, small gardens that can be re-imagined as successive groups of children come through. They can plant flowers and watch things grow, get their hands in the ground."

Sheds at the back of the existing premises can be moved to the end of the new section, and help with existing storage issues. The Centre will be self-funding the fencing and part of the ground works, and local fundraising events will be organised with the help of families to pay for the fitting out. "We're not for profit, and everything we make goes back into the facility," Caryl notes.

This latest endeavour follows on from the opening of the upstairs section of the Centre last February. This allowed provision of a dedicated room for after-school services and also enabled a breakfast club ind increased capacity. That expansion was self-funded by the Centre to the tune of 75pc, the balance coming from Kildare County Council's Community Fund.

The Kilcullen Community Childcare and Education Centre — its full title — was originally working out of old pre-fabs until the new building was opened in 2014. Funding for the facility included a 75pc grant from the Kildare Leader Partnership as well as local fundraising and a loan. 

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