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| Annette Akerlind, Amanda McManus and Audrey Murray. |
A rapidly expanding Kildare-based chain of creches have established their administration headquarters in Kilcullen,
writes Brian Byrne.
Tots Creche & Daycare currently have eight locations across Kildare, and expect to increase that number to 12 by September.
The new HQ is in the former Reidy Stafford offices suite in the Market Square building, and it was officially launched last evening with a reception. The administration facilities include a bespoke IT system that can keep a real-time tally of children and staff in each room of every location.
Tots Creche was established in 2002 by two sisters, Audrey Murray and Annette Akerlind, with four children in just one room. They were joined by Amanda McManus in 2006, and today the business has more than 100 staff looking after some 600 children in fully-equipped facilities. That there is an extensive waiting list for their service is one reason why Tots Creche & Daycare are in expansion mode since last year. "We have doubled our facilities in a year and simply outgrew our office space," Amanda McManus told the Diary last evening at the launch event. "We came to Kilcullen because the Market Square offices are the perfect space for us, and we have been made feel very welcome in the community."
The current Tots Creche & Daycare facilities are in Newbridge, Naas, Sallins, Prosperous, and Maynooth, and further ones are planned this year for Newbridge, Naas and Kildare town. Each has a dedicated space for babies and cruisers, wobblers and toddlers, pre-schoolers and after-schoolers. Parents have the option of using a Parent Portal app which provides individual daily updates about the care of their child. The portal can also be accessed on the business's website. A fleet of private buses drop off and collect the children who attend 'big school' and come back for after-school care or need to be transported to or from other activities such as dancing or football during the afternoons.
In addition to the facilities within Kildare, the company has plans in train to expand outside the county over the coming year. As smaller creche operators close, in part because of the increased administrative requirements that come with expanding state support, an enterprise like Tots Creche & Daycare is trying to fill a widening gap between demand and availability for child care spaces. "We have the central administration to manage growth," Amanda says, acknowledging that it is 'very sad' that smaller individual creche operations are closing. "But the increased state provision for daycare does mean that more women can afford to go back into the workforce."
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| Tara Murphy, Liz Murphy and Lisa Midleton. |
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| Rachel Akerlind, Ben Murray and Ella Hannon. |
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| Martina Daňhelová and Zenka Daňhelová. |
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| Melissa McEvoy, Natasha Enright, and Lisa Gaffney. |
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| Alan O'Connell and Malcolm Akerlind. |
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| Alex Lyons and Greg Curran. |
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