KCCEC gets equipment grant

Keep sending the emailsThe Kilcullen Community Childcare & Education Centre got a little bit of good news this morning, about a €2,300 grant for equipment for the playgroup, writes Brian Byrne. It was provided through the office of the Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald TD.

However, they're still waiting on word from the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan TD, as to how their appeal against the refusal of Leader funding for the KCCEC premises is getting along.

The playgroup says it's still important to keep sending emails to the relevant public representatives, including Minister Hogan.

Fianna Fail gets behind Childcare Centre

Promises ongoing supportFianna Fail in Kildare has issued a statement in support of the Kilcullen Community Childcare and Education Centre project, which has been stalled by a refusal of the Department of the Environment to come through with EU funds approved by the County Kildare Leader Partnership.

The statement from Sean O Fearghaill TD reiterates his party's demand that the €356,000 be released, as the community has raised substantial sums through local funding, by a volunteer local committee whuch has invested two years into planning and developing a new facility.

"Minister Hogan and his Department have reneged on a previous commitment," the deputy says in the statement. "This leaves the project completely in limbo and is a massive slap in the face for local parents and campaigners."

The statement says that Naas Area Representative James Lawless and Cllr Willie Callaghan have also supported the campaign to have the decision reversed. Deputy O Fearghaill will continue to work on behalf of the group.

Playgroup set up in TD's office today

There was strong support this afternoon for a Rally at Deputy Martin Heydon's office in Newbridge to highlight the Community Childcare Centre funding situation, writes Brian Byrne.

Up to 60 men, women and children turned out to hand in a letter to the Fine Gael TD, destined for the Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan TD.

An impromptu Playgroup was set up in the TD's office to illustrate the fact that the current service could be made homeless if the new Centre isn't built this year.

Little Eleanor Steed handed the letter to the deputy, saying that 'A promise is a promise, and promises should always be kept'.

Deputy Heydon for his part said he had again told the Minister that this was the single most important issue in the constituency, and that the Minister has taken a 'hand-on' part in the Departmental consideration of the appeal on the initial refusal.

More pictures here.

Crowd at Childcare Centre Rally essential

Need for big turnoutTomorrow's Childcare Centre Rally outside Martin Heydon's Fine Gael Constituency Office in Newbridge is the kickoff in a concerted campaign to make Minister Phil Hogan aware of the ire of local people over the funding crisis, writes Brian Byrne.

It takes place at 12 noon, and though it isn't easy for many people from the town to go to Newbridge on a Saturday morning, it is critical that as many as possibly can turn up for this show of strength.

This is not just about the Centre as a building, but as a facility which will offer a valuable and affordable resource to generations of young families over years to come.

There's a short window to have the refusal reversed, and it needs a concentration of effort to make the media, the wider public, and the minister aware of the fact that Kilcullen isn't going to take this lying down (especially not under the thundering hoofs of horses from an equestrian centre!).

See you there.

Kilcullen to fight Childcare Centre refusal

"Failure is not an option here. This is not about a building, this is about the children."

At a meeting last night where Kilcullen's support for the planned Community Childcare & Education Centre was reaffirmed, Iseult O'Donoghue and her fellow voluntary directors of the project were adamant that the unexpected last-minute funds refusal would be overcome, writes Brian Byrne.

Those present were asked to lobby their local TDs, and especially the Minister for the Environment, Community & Local Government, Phil Hogan TD, to have reversed the decision by the Department to refuse the funding.

Campaign to have funding decision reversedLater today, the Minister will be asked in the Dail if he had directed the Department not to allow the funding, representing 75 percent of the total cost of the Centre, through the County Kildare Leader Partnership which has fully approved the grant. This is by way of a Parliamentary Question put down by Fianna Fail TD Sean O Fearghail.

And Fine Gael TD Martin Heydon told the meeting that he had again spoken to the Minister yesterday and told him that the resolution of this matter was the single most important thing in his constituency at the moment.

Earlier, the directors of Kilcullen Community Childcare & Education Centre Limited (KCCEC) had outlined the details of how they had progressed the project over the last two and a half years.

Planning permission for the Centre was already in place when they took over the project, on a site provided on the campus of Kilcullen Community Centre and where the three decades old Naomh Bride Community Playgroup was currently providing the service in pre-fab accommodation.

Because of a change nationally in funding such centres, the project leaders had to source funds elsewhere. KCCEC co-chair Orla O'Neill noted how €36,613 had been raised from the local community, €12,000 had been allocated by Kildare County Council, and a loan of €70,204 had been secured from Clann Credo, a social funding organisation. The balance of €356,450 was secured after negotiations with the County Kildare Leader Partnership, which had approved it 'in principle' in December, and fully approved it in April.

She read out a letter from Justin Larkin, CEO of CKLP, in which he said that the funding organisation was 'fully committed' to the project, and was 'currently engaging' with the Department to have the refusal reversed. He said it was 'premature' to say that the funding was categorically withdrawn, and that CKLP had previously, in similar situations, succeeded in reversing Departmental decisions.

On the matter of whether childcare projects were eligible for Leader funding, Orla O'Neill reiterated that all through the process, it had been made clear what the project was. CKLP was very clear in its belief that it was eligible, and in 2012 a grant had been made available to fund a Project Manager to work through the complex details of the initiative, including the stringent tendering process.

Noting that state funding for childcare projects was now contingent on 'assessed need', she reminded the meeting that this need had been clearly defined in the recent Community Survey commissioned by Kilcullen Community Action. "We have good primary and secondary schools in the town, this is the missing piece of the jig-saw puzzle."

She added that a local contractor had come through as the preferred bidder on the project, which meant that all the funds used in the construction would remain in the area.

The meeting heard that an appeal to the Principal Officer of the Department had to be made by Wednesday of next week. KCCEC's solicitor has already completed that appeal, which will be sent by registered post today. A Judicial Review is possible if this appeal fails, and would likely be successful, but 'that will cost', those present were told.

Martin Heydon TD, whose consistent support for the project had earlier been acknowledged, said he never expected this situation, and that no community should have to be in the position to require legal proceedings.

Speaking on behalf of Sean O Fearghail TD, James Lawless said that Fianna Fail's Eamonn O Cuiv TD was also aware of the situation, and was prepared to add his weight to the appeal process. "This is not just a Kilcullen issue, there's €50 million of EU Leader funding at stake around the country, and if it isn't spent by the end of this year it will go back to Europe."

Following discussion on what to do next, it was decided to step up a local and national news media campaign, and also to directly target the Minister and other politicians. This will include a rally on Saturday next at 12 noon at the Fine Gael Constituency Office in Newbridge.

Contact details for Minister Hogan and the local TDs were distributed and local people were urged to phone them, email them, and contact them by letter, to make them aware of the importance to Kilcullen of this project.

"The message is, we are not standing for this," Iseult O'Donoghue said. "We are not going to go away. We have a moral responsibility to the children, not just those who are using the service at the moment, but for those who will in the future."

Parents to protest Childcare Centre funds rejection

Placard and banner protestThere will be a placard and banners protest today at the Naomh Bríde Community Playgroup to highlight the poor state of the building and the urgent need for a new building.

This follows the rejection by the Department of Environment, Community & Local Government of the Community Childcare project's Leader funds application at the point where the project was ready to begin construction.

All parents of young children are asked to attend, with placards, to show the strength of community feeling about this.

The protest is at 11.30am.

Department rejects Leader financing of Childcare centre

Just as it was finally being carried across the line, the Kilcullen Childcare & Education Centre project has been dealt a nasty foul by the Department of Environment, Community & Local Government, writes Brian Byrne.

Centre project in crisisAfter a two-year marathon by the volunteer directors of the project, and the staff of the 30 years old Naomh Bhride Community Playgroup, access to a key part of the required funding programme has been unexpectedly rejected by the Department. Even though the project had been approved in principle by the main funders, the County Kildare Leader Partnership, late last year. It was fully approved by the Board of CKLP in April.

In what the project's champions see as a 'backtrack' by the Department's EU Rural Development section, the project was rejected as 'ineligible' yesterday because it related to childcare. This despite the fact that the same body provided grant aid last year for the provision of a Project Manager to further the Centre, an application then clearly presented as a childcare project.

The Centre concept has received widespread support of the greater Kilcullen Community, and a substantial part of the required €450,000 was raised locally.

Devastated promoters of the project, which would eventually become a vital Resource Centre for the growing and relatively young families of Kilcullen have vowed not to accept the Departmental refusal, and are planning a number of events to highlight the idiocy of the move against the background of state and institutional neglect of children revealed in recent times.

A public meeting is being organised for next week, on Wednesday 19th June in the Heritage Centre, to detail the position and kick off a determined campaign to reverse the Department's decision. It is open to appeal, and to judicial review if necessary.

Kilcullen Community Childcare & Education Centre Ltd has employed a solicitor to develop the appeal and any further legal action that might be required.

Naomh Bhride Community Childcare caters for some 25 families, and is currently operating in prefab premises which have not been fit for purpose for some years.

Child Centre committee 'delighted and relieved'

'More than ready to proceed with the project'The Board of Directors, Staff and all supporters of the project to bring a purpose-built Community Childcare Centre to Kilcullen are delighted and relieved at the news that the Departmental embargo on Leader funding has been temporarily lifted throughout the country for projects ‘in queue’, writes Iseult O'Donoghue.

We were very disheartened to have brought the project so close to completion for such an unforeseen and sweeping obstacle to have stalled progress. Fortunately, and thanks to the tireless work of our dedicated committee and supporters, we are in a position to benefit from the lifting of the embargo as we are more than ready to proceed with the project.

We expect that Kildare County Leader Partnership will formally approve the project application at its meeting next Tuesday evening. From there the application will be subjected to Ministerial review in the Department of the Environment. It may take up to six weeks for this review to take place but, again, we are confident that the funding for this valuable project will be granted.

We’d like to thank our local representatives Ivan Keatley and Mark Wall and, of course, Marin Heydon TD for their support and encouragement over the past few stressful weeks and throughout the entire project. We would especially like to thank the staff, parents and supporters in the Playgroup and committee for their encouragement and faith in the project – we’re just asking people to keep their fingers crossed for a little longer … we promise!

KCCEC will be holding a Summer draw with fantastic prizes so if you’d like to show your support for the project we’re asking people to help sell tickets – please see our website for details.

Child Centre committee 'dismayed but determined'

The unexpected delay in the Community Childcare Centre project has 'dismayed and disappointed' those who have worked so hard to bring it to fruition, writes Brian Byrne. But they say they are determined to see both the funding and the building at some stage.

"It is such a time-consuming and complicated process in the first place that this kind of major set-back is exhausting and has the potential to be very demoralising," says the committee's Iseult O'Donoghue. "Everyone has been so patient and supportive that it's tough to go back to the community and say 'there's been another delay but bear with us and please enter our raffle!'"

In a statement to the Diary, Iseult says she has every faith in the project committee committee and in the value of the Centre, and if there's any way to expedite things they will find it. "That may mean reaching out to the community yet again to help us put political pressure on the powers that be, but at the moment we're re-grouping and seeing what our options are," she says.

The committee only found during the week that an embargo on sanctioning of Leader funds by Environment Minister Phil Hogan had affected the Kilcullen funding, even though it had been agreed before last Christmas.

The Minister is coming under strong pressure in the Dail from all over the country over the embargo, which he said was to give his department time to review Rural Development programmes.

Child Centre delayed by Hogan Halt

The start of work on the new Community Childcare and Education Centre, which had been expected to begin last month, has been suspended because of a Government embargo on approval of new projects, writes Brian Byrne.

In a statement, the organising committee of the €600,000 project says the delay could be 'several months'.

"It's a huge blow," says Orla O'Neill, who spearheaded the efforts of the committee over the last two years, but she is adamant that the project 'will go ahead'. She also said they were surprised that the project had been affected by the embargo, as it had been agreed in principle before the end of 2012. "It was only when I took the unusual step last week of contacting the Department directly that I realised we had been misinformed."

Leader funding of €365,000 towards the project was approved by the County Kildare Leader Partnership in December, and last month the approval was confirmed by the CKLP board. The grant was awaiting confirmation by the Department of Finance, which oversees the distribution of Leader funds across the country.

Tenders for the project had been evaluated, and a local contractor has already been selected for the project.

A health and safety briefing meeting was held during March, in preparation for beginning work on the site, close to the current community playgroup premises at the back of Kilcullen Community Complex. Naomh Bríde playgroup, which has operated since the 1970s, had expected that they could move to the new Centre in September.

However, it transpires that, in February, Environment Minister Phil Hogan placed an embargo on the final approval of new projects funded by Leader, pending a review of the Department of the Environment budget for the Rural Development Programme.

This has led to major disruption of funding for projects and festivals throughout Ireland. Under pressure from Fianna Fail, the minister agreed last month to lift the embargo, but to date has not done so.

Up to €100m of Leader funding still has to be spent before the end of this year, or it will be lost back to Europe, which provides 85 percent of the total.

The Childcare Centre committee has called on all local people to contact their Councillors and TDs to express how they feel about the situation.

The matter is a severe blow to the morale of the local community and particularly to those who had worked so hard to regenerate the project, which previously collapsed at the end of 2010 because of local difficulties over leases.

Unrelated Information: According to reports in the Irish Independent, Minister Hogan and officials from his Department have spent €133,000 in travelling to conferences in Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Durban in South Africa and Nairobi in Kenya, as well as New York, Paris and Rome. And our diplomats have managed to retain their spending habits.

Community Playgroup meeting

A briefing meeting on health and safety matters which will arise during the construction of the new Community Childcare & Family resource Centre will be held on Wednesday 20 March.

All parents, guardians and carers of children currently attending the Playgroup are being asked to attend the meeting, which will include details of the isses by the Project Manager.

The meeting, which will start at 8pm, will also discuss some of the recent changes in the Playgroup and how the Centre project is progressing.

For more information contact Iseult O'Donoghue at 0868519361 or go to the Group's website.

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.

Childcare project gets another boost

The Kilcullen Community Childcare & Family Resource Centre project got an early Christmas present this morning with news of a €10,000 grant from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs Lottery Grant Funding.

This funding will be used for furniture and play equipment, and was announced by Minister for Children & Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald, who viewed the site on a visit in May.

The Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald TD, with Cllr Ivan Keatley and Deputy Martin Heydon on her visit to Naomh Bhride Community Playgroup.

"It's another recognition of the hard work which the community and the project promoters have put into getting this long-awaited facility," local TC Martin Heydon told the Diary this morning.

A major milestone in the project was reached last week when a critical lease was signed between project promoters Kilcullen Community Childcare, and Kilcullen Community Centre Limited, with the agreement and assistance of the Cross & Passion sisters who owned the land on which the facility will be built.

Tenders for the project have been received and are being evaluated, and the promoters are awaiting final decisions on funding. All going well, the Naomh Bhride Community Playgroup hope to move into the new facility in September of next year.

Childcare Centre lease signed

A major milestone has been reached in the efforts to establish a Community Childcare & Family Resource Centre in Kilcullen, writes Brian Byrne.

A critical lease has been signed between project promoters Kilcullen Community Childcare, and Kilcullen Community Centre Limited, with the agreement and assistance of the Cross & Passion sisters who owned the land on which the facility will be built.

At the signing, appreciation was expressed for all those who had helped bring the project to this stage, including the original committee whose decade of efforts to raise €600,000 for the facility collapsed at the end of 2010 because of difficulties in acquiring the lease just signed. In particular, the help given by Sr Maura of the Cross & Passion sisters was commended.

Tenders for the revived project have been received and are being evaluated, and the promoters are awaiting final decisions on funding. All going well, the Naomh Bhride Community Playgroup hope to move into the new facility in September of next year.

Pictured at the lease signing last night are Orla O'Neill, Iseult O'Donoghue and Kate Steed, all of Kilcullen Community Childcare.

Council commits to Childcare Centre

Kildare County Council has committed €12,000 in matching funding towards the cost of the planned Community Childcare & Family Resource Centre, writes Brian Byrne.

The funding will be forthcoming if an application to the Kildare Leader Partnership for funding is successful.

Cllr Ivan Keatley says the commitment is 'great news' given the pressures on the low level of funding available. "Previous contacts with the Council had indicated that no more matching funding was going to be made available to the Kilcullen area following the completion of the playground."

He congratulated the project committee for their hard work done to date towards making the facility a reality. The project has now gone to etender, and there are hopes that a contractor will be appointed shortly.

Minister notes 'issues' blocking Playgroup plan

A Government minister says she hopes that the issues which have stood in the way of the provision of a modern Childcare & Family Resource Centre in Kilcullen could be cleared 'in the coming weeks', writes Brian Byrne.

Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, was at the Naomh Bhride Community Playgroup yesterday afternoon to see the site and the plans for the new Centre. She said that she was aware that the same issues had caused 'unexpected difficulty' and had led to the loss of the funding which had been originally granted for the project.

Her comments were a direct reference to the fact that the problems in securing a lease for the new premises have not yet been resolved.

But the Minister congratulated the Playgroup staff and volunteers for the quality and the service they have been giving to parents from the locality since the facility was first established in the 1970s. "That quality is obvious, because parents wouldn't keep bringing their children back here if it wasn't there."

She made special reference to those who were in the Playgroup at the beginning, saying that they were responding to a need which really wasn't then recognised by society, but certainly is now.

"We know from research that good quality early childcare of three hours a day in a preschool setting makes a huge difference to childrens' outcome," she said. "Even economically, when the OECD did their report on Ireland last year on competitiveness they said it was hugely impacted by quality experiences for children in the early years. So it adds to how well a country does. And that's very important for all of us at the moment."

On funding, the Minister said she wasn't going to pretend that it isn't a difficult time in that regard, but noted that when she became Minister for Children and Youth Affairs she had managed to reopen the Capital Programme for some support to the sector.

"We don't know what will happen, but as our economy grows I hope we can begin to support childcare facilities again. In the meantime I know you're exploring Leader programmes and the County Council on various supports that you might get. I'm tuned in to the situation now, and if there is anything I can do, obviously I want to support you."



Eilis Keogh from the Playgroup presented the Minister with a hamper of foods produced in the locality. "You can't take home this goodwill and support we have in our fantastic town," Eilis said, "but this is a symbol of what Kilcullen has to offer in edible form."

Minister Fitzgerald quipped that the gift was too much, that it was enought 'to feed the whole Department of Children & Youth Affairs'.

She was accompanied on the visit by Deputy Martin Heydon and Cllr Ivan Keatley.

Minister gets a taste of Kilcullen

Kilcullen's food interests were well served this evening when the Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald TD, was presented with a hamper of foods produced in the town, writes Brian Byrne.

The presentation took place at the end of the Minister's visit to Naomh Bhride Kilcullen Community Playgroup to inspect the site and plans for the Kilcullen Child Care & Family Resource Centre.

Complimenting the project promoters, the Minister said she was now well 'in tune' with the plans. She also quipped that the presentation 'would feed her whole department'.

The Minister is pictured above receiving the presentation from Eilis Keogh of Naomh Bhride Playgroup, with Cllr Ivan Keatley and Martin Heydon TD.

We'll give a full report tomorrow.

Minister coming to Playgroup next week

Kilcullen Community Playgroup is hosting a very special visitor next Monday, April 30, in the person of the minister for children and youth affairs, Frances Fitzgerald.

The minister will visit the existing prefab building being used by the Playgroup, from 4pm, and will see the plans for and be shown around the site of the proposed new Childcare & Family Resource Centre.

Minister Fitzgerald will also meet with parents and children from past and present years of the Playgroup, and members of the community in Kilcullen who have been supportive of the project.

"It's a very important event for the community of Kilcullen," says spokesperson for the project Iseult O'Donoghue, adding that the visit is a clear indication of support for the project by the minister.

Car Boot Sale on Sunday

The Car Boot Sale being held in Kilcullen Mart on Sunday will also be a showcase for local businesses, writes Brian Byrne.

The event is in aid of the Community Childcare & Family Resource Centre project and has been organised by the Kilcullen Community Playgroup.

It opens from 9am for traders to set up and selling to the public will begin at 10am. 

The day will include family entertainment, a baby and child stall operated by the organisers, along with a book stall and crafts and local foods display and sales.

Purity Belle Candles will be there, as will the local Avon people, and Glowbling Hairbands.

The Stonebrook Pet Farm is bringing along some of their animals as an attraction for children.

The event closes at 2pm.


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Car Boot Sale for Childcare Centre

Grab a bargain or turn your spring clean into cash at Kilcullen Community Playgroup’s Car Boot Sale and Market, writes Iseult O'Donoghue.

It is being held on Sunday 4 March from 10 am-2pm, at Kilcullen Mart on the Newbridge Road.

Traders and stall-holders are welcome to set up from 9am: cars are €10 and vans €15. Anyone interested in trading on the day can call 0852303068 for more information.

There will be a great variety of stalls, baby andchildren’s goods, family entertainment, crafts, local foods and refreshments.

All proceeds from the event will go towards the campaign to build a new Community Childcare and Family Centre in the town. See our website for more details or to get involved.


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