Childcare facility to reopen

Funding has finally been approved to refurbish a childcare facility which closed on the northside of Cork city suddenly last year.

Northside Community Enterprise (NCE) confirmed on Monday that the Department of Children had granted funding to carry out refurbishment works required to re-open the former Before 5 facility in Churchfield.

Once works are completed, a new much-needed childcare facility will be available to families on the northside of the city from late 2025. More than 100 children were left without a space when it closed in August 2023. Financial challenges, changes in regulations and recruitment issues were cited at the time as reasons for its closure. Families have since been campaigning for the facility to reopen.

Wayne O’Donnell, Manager of NCE, said: “We have done extensive work to secure the re-opening of this facility and the provision of this much-needed childcare service for families. We would like to express our sincere thanks to a number of groups and services we engaged with and who supported us during this process, including Cork City Childcare, a number of local representatives, and Pobal.”

He added: “We'd particularly like to express our gratitude to Minister Roderic O'Gorman and the Department of Children for their extensive support over the last number of months to help bring this proposal to fruition. We would also like to thank and acknowledge the Cork & Ross Diocesan Trustees for all their support.

“We are keen to get the building works commenced as soon as possible and ensure that we can support the need for childcare facilities in the area without delay,” he concluded.