Childcare

ASKAMORE COMMUNITY CHILDCARE GROUP
The Early Years
Askamore Community Childcare Group was formed under Askamore Community Development Association in 2002.
There was a survey done in the parish of Askamore and one result from that was the obvious need in the area for a créche/playschool, a general childcare facility.
Maura Murphy from the Southern Health Board came to Askamore to look at our Community Centre as this was first thought where to put the facility, but when she saw all that was to be done, she suggested that we should start from scratch and build a new facility.
Once the Committee was formed we started to do our own fundraising for initial costs. We also had a Mother and Toddler Group in the centre, which ran for 18 months and this also needed funds to keep going. Fundraising ideas ranged from field days in Ballroebuck, Hallowe’en and Christmas children’s discos, a choral evening, scrappage collection, 45 card drives, selling Christmas cards and calendars and a monster raffle.
When we knew that we would qualify for NDP money, the committee set about compiling more information to fill out the necessary forms- a huge task. This took a year in total and from the time we submitted the form to the decision date was two weeks short of two years. Funding of €700,000 circa was granted in December 2004 – worth the effort in the end.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, TD, opened the facility on the 27th October 2006 and it has been going from strength to strength since then.

Askamore Community Childcare was officially opened by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, TD, on 2006.

At present we have 86 children on the books and a total of 15 staff members.
We are compiling a recipe book due to be launched at our annual cake sale in early December. The children and staff have had great fun doing it. We could have a few Darina Allen’s in our midst!!!