Recruitment drive underway at childcare facility

STAFF recruitment is continuing for a new €1.2m community childcare facility in Killaloe catering for 50 children following the appointment of a new manager.
It is expected that the state-of-the-art facility, which is located at the Bane Field, Knockyclovaun adjacent to the Killaloe Children’s Playground, will be open early in 2011.
Affordable childcare will be provided to all parents in the community who want care for their babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers.
An after-school service currently being run by Killaloe Community Development Company (KCDC) from a rented premises on Main Street, Killaloe will also move to this new facility. It is expected that up to 10 people will be employed in the new building.
The process of staff recruitment is currently underway and the manager of the facility has been appointed.
The new manager is Deirdre Gleeson, who has two children and is the daughter of Tom and Joan Gleeson of Ross, Bridgetown. Her mother, Joan was a former teacher at St Anne’s Community College Killlaoe and was one of the chief drivers in the establishment of that school when the Killaloe Convent secondary school managed by the Mercy Sisters changed status.
Deirdre was educated at Bridgetown National School and St Anne’s Community College. She holds several qualifications appropriate to the position and has 10 years’ experience in childcare. She is greatly valued in her chosen field having been on the staff of the highly popular local Mother Goose childcare facility.
Killaloe Community Development Company Limited (KCDC), a company set up by volunteers in Killaloe to facilitate the local community, is about to deliver a state of the art childcare facility. The board of directors Una Kierse, former Killaloe Boys National School principal Michael Gleeson, Michael Culhane senior and Joss Lowry commenced the process of structuring an application under the National Childcare Investment Programme back in December 2006.
The company obtained planning approval for the construction of a pre and after-school children facility, site entrances, associated site works and ancillary car parking at Bane Field, Knockyclovaun, Killaloe subject to 13 conditions.
According to the planning conditions, the proposed hours of operation are from 7.30am to 7pm on weekdays, while all waste from the facility will be collected by a commercial waste removal service. Up to 22 car-parking spaces will serve the development at the southern end. The state-of-the-art building includes a courtyard area provided at the central area to facilitate a courtyard playground.
The lack of adequate childcare facilities was highlighted in a report completed by the Clare Childcare Committee, which noted extremely high dependant families in Killaloe were currently at a disadvantage.
By January 2008, the committee had obtained approval for funding totalling €1.2m provided a contract was completed within the following 12 months.
Well-known RTÉ presenter Gary Miley, who lives in Ogonnelloe, won the tender and proceeded with the design work while Limerick based company Cusack & O’Connor won the tender to construct the facility.
However, difficulties with the first site resulted in Clare County Council providing another location for development following representations from former Clare Councillor Tony O’Brien.
The project came unstuck when all the necessary stages were completed a month outside the closing date, which led to Government funding being de-committed.
However, the company subsequently received the necessary funding following a meeting with Minister for Children Barry Andrews in Killaloe during his visit to childcare facilities back in the summer of 2009.