Boyle set for new State-led childcare centre in major boost for town
Boyle and six other locations nationwide will benefit from the first tranche of a €135m investment. Pic: iStock
Boyle is set for a new State-led childcare centre in what is being described as a major boost to tackling the severe lack of childcare provision in the town.
The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley has given a commitment to purchase a property in Boyle as part of seven locations selected nationwide to address the critical childcare shortage.
Boyle and these locations will benefit from the first tranche of a €135m investment for new early learning and childcare projects under the State-led early learning and childcare capital programme.
The programme, launched earlier this year, is designed to acquire, refurbish or develop facilities in areas where a lack of childcare capacity has been identified.
Welcoming the news, local Fianna Fáil TD Martin Daly said the Department will now purchase a property in Boyle that will be developed for childcare and preschool services.
“The next step would likely to be a tendering for third parties to provide the actual service and that will be open to voluntary community groups, to section 39 groups and other groups with experience in this area,” he explained.
Deputy Daly said the decision followed intensive lobbying efforts on behalf of the Boyle Childcare and Preschool Committee, which has campaigned for increased childcare provision in the town.
"This is really significant news for Boyle. The Minister has recognised the need in Boyle. This was informed by the excellent research and survey carried out by the Boyle Childcare and Preschool Committee, which clearly demonstrated the huge demand for childcare and preschool places in the area," Deputy Daly explained.
He also acknowledged the role played by the County Childcare Committee in helping to advance the project.
"There has been a huge amount of planning and preparation done behind the scenes, and that work has now been recognised," he said.
The Boyle campaign highlighted the difficulties faced by families in securing childcare, with shortages creating challenges for parents seeking to return to work and for children accessing early years education.
While no specific funding allocation has yet been confirmed for the Boyle project, Deputy Daly said the town's inclusion among the first seven locations nationally represented a major endorsement of the case made by local campaigners.
The Fianna Fáil TD said the investment would bring benefits far beyond childcare provision.
"We know how critical early learning is for children's social and intellectual development, but there is also a wider economic benefit," he said.
"This investment will help parents of young children return to work when they choose to do so, and that is hugely important for the local economy."
