yblive Summer 2009, 3,4,5 Learning Years
Twenty Seven Years of Vision
Mary Brady, the Director of Tir Na nOg reflects on twenty seven years of vision in the provision of early years services, and welcomes Barnardos and youngballymun’s 3,4,5 Learning Years service to Ballymun.
Hello to all the readers of yblive - I’m Mary Brady, Director of Tir Na nOg, Early Childhood Care & Education Centre and I’ve been here in Ballymun for twenty-seven years! Where did all that time go? In this time I have seen a huge amount of changes and a lot of these changes for the better.
Over twenty years ago I was providing services to children in a pre-fab that was falling down around my ears. However, we did have a lovely cat that lived under the floor which the children adopted and gave it the name of Bella. We had to switch off the electricity every night in case an electrical fault might start a fire – And these were called the ‘good old days’.
In 1988 we made a move very much for the better – from the pre-fab into the Holy Spirit Girls School. We were given two classrooms which we renovated, giving us our own entrance and giving me my very first office!! I wasn’t operating from a corner of the room any longer.
The rooms were lovely – really large, but the very best thing about the move was the way we were welcomed into the Holy Spirit School and over the years we have maintained a very good relationship that has its roots back there.
In 1997 the School obtained money from the Department of Education in order to carry out renovations. As part of that renovation the school required the classrooms we occupied so we needed to look at relocation.
We looked at various potential properties and then the school brought our attention to a piece of land beside their boundary fence which belonged to the Diocese. We negotiated a price and purchased it and this brought us to our next challenge of FUNDRAISING for the finances to build.
We had our eye on the FAS Social Building Scheme where if we provided the materials FAS would provide the labour through their Training Programmes. We just missed the boat with that scheme – it finished just as we were ready to get started.
URBAN Funding had been secured to cover the cost of materials but we had a deficit of £250,000 to make up. Roisin Shortall T.D. was Chair of what was then the Eastern Health Board and she negotiated on our behalf securing the funding from the EHB.
I was just looking through an old funding file from 1996 through to 1999 the other day and realised we had applied to so many places for funding – ADM, Social Welfare, Lotus Philanthropy, National Lottery, People in Need…… the list goes on. Anyway we finally opened the doors of our own Purpose Built Centre in 1999 and President Mary McAleese extended us the great honour of conducting this great event.
We expanded our service with that move from catering for 62 children to 110 children on a daily basis and from 4 Nursery Teachers to 8 Nursery Teachers, from 11 FAS Participants to 22 FAS Participants – the greater number of staff we employ are living locally.
In May 2008 one of my own personal dreams for the Centre was fulfilled when the Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan, officially opened our wonderful outdoor play and exploration area, which is hugely important for the development and enjoyment of the children….and right now we have just completed work on our latest project – a sensory room. This space is dual purpose both to support sensory development and to provide a great space for one- to- one work with the children.
Over the years here in Ballymun there have been a lot of plans made around childcare issues - some were brought to fruition and others were not. There have been a lot of highs and a lot of lows and then along came youngballymun with the support of Atlantic Philanthropies and the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and with a mandate to cater to children from 0 – 18 plus years. We have a Childcare Co-ordinator and a Childcare Resource Centre in the Partnership and now we have youngballymun – so hopes are soaring high again! Things are happening for young people.
Right now Barnardos (such a great organisation working for the interests of children) and youngballymun have joined forces to work for the interests of our children in Ballymun – what a boost to our area and an injection of renewed hope.
We in Ballymun, working with the young have such richness in our children and their parents. There is so much talent and creativeness here as is evident by the amount of activities which are taking place e.g. the schools orchestra & choirs, the pantomimes and plays in the Axis Centre, the making of toys, e.g. dolls houses etc. in the Aisling Centres and numerous of other activities.
Twenty-seven years have passed so quickly and I certainly will not be around for another twenty-seven but I am pleased with what I have achieved and what I have contributed to childcare in this community. I am at this stage welcoming children who passed through our Centre and who are now bringing their own children to us to be cared for and educated…….what a privilege!
