'Without this open there are no other places' Cobh families stage protest as pre-school service pulled
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A mother of three children with autism is among dozens of families in an East Cork town left reeling by the unexpected closure of pre-school and after-school services.
Cobh Family Resource Centre notified parents last Thursday it would not be in a position to provide these services in September after the summer break.
In the letter seen by the , the board of management said the decision was taken with “much regret” and a “heavy heart”, due to the “ongoing lack of sufficient funds” and an increase in overhead costs.
It is understood 54 children and their families have been affected by this closure.
Lorraine O’Regan has four young children who use the services of the Cobh Family Resource Centre.
Her youngest son, Troy, who is awaiting an autism assessment, is due to begin his second year in pre-school in September, through the ECCE scheme.
This scheme allows parents to avail of free childcare for three hours a day, 5 days a week.
Ms O’Regan said spaces for children in the ECCE scheme were limited, particularly in childcare facilities suitable for children with additional needs.
“I'm a full-on special needs mom fighting for her centre. Without this open there are no other places. And at that they would not suit any child who has special needs,” she said.
The resource centre also facilitated summer camps for both pre-school and school-aged children, along with a mother and toddler group, both of which are also understood to be affected.
"For my child, in particular, he is speech delayed. His speech was just starting to come on and his assessments are just starting to kick in. Even at the weekend without school, he struggled, without the normality, without his peers, without having the regularity of getting up, getting dressed, going out, he couldn't even handle the weekend, let alone a whole summer. And now, with no end to it, there is no place for him to go,” Ms O'Regan said
The centre is the only community childcare facility in Cobh.
Ms O’Regan said parents were shocked by the sudden decision, and questioned the reasons given for ending the service,
“We're just not buying this. How could they be running at a loss when most of the children in the preschool were ECCE-covered?
However, in the letter, the board of management said "It has been very difficult to maintain the services based on the funding and the revenue streams which we receive."
Ms O'Regan said: “I haven't a clue what I'm going to do. I don't know what I'm going to do without those three hours a day."
A meeting is due to take place between local councillors and the board of Cobh Family Resource Centre on Tuesday evening to discuss this closure.
It is also expected to be attended by a representative from Tusla and the chief executive of the Family Resource Centre National Forum.
"Depending on the outcome of that, we're not going to back down, we can't back down. Not only for our own children, for children coming up. And for our town, this is a community building. This is community services. There is no other, we lose this, what's going to be next?" Ms O'Regan added.