Friday, July 28, 2023

Parents' concerns over closure of Llangollen Day Nursery


* Llangollen Day Nursery in East Street.

Parents have been speaking about how they will be affected by the closure of the popular Llangollen Day Nursery next month.

On July 17 they were sent a letter by the manager of the East Street nursery informing them that, “following an economic viability consultation” it was due to close on Monday August 14.     

They have since set up a Facebook page on which they are sharing their experiences and ways of finding alternative places for their young children.

They are have also been seeking the support of local councillors, the area’s MP and schools for their plight.

Chelsea Robinson  has three-year-old daughter at the nursery and on behalf of herself and her husband Tom she said: "The impending closure of Llangollen Day Nursery, leaves many working parents without care options that work around a traditional 9-5 job.

“Many are now faced with impossible decisions in order to balance their professional commitments with the care of their children.

“The impact on working parents unable to access suitable childcare cannot be understated and it is essential for local authorities to acknowledge and address these gaps in support, understanding that the availability of affordable and convenient childcare services holds the key to empowering and enabling parents to thrive in their professional and personal lives.

“We must come together as a community to advocate equitable solutions that meet the diverse needs of our working parents."  

Chelsea added that some parents who live in Llangollen are faced with 45-minute round trips to get their children to school in the town because they were now having to drop off younger children in a nursery further afield while others felt they might have to pull their children  out of  Llangollen schools altogether.

Another mum, Ceri Morris, said: “The decision made by the trustees has been upsetting, not only for the families but also the amazing staff who have lost their jobs in a wonderful nursery.

“My eldest child has attended Llangollen nursery since he was nine months old, he is now almost three  years old and was going to attend until he started school. I am currently on maternity leave with my second child  and this is an added stress we did not need.

“My youngest was due to start in the nursery in December of this year. The closure means I will now have to consider if it’s possible to return to my currently employment once my maternity leave ends.

“Although there are other nursery’s outside of Llangollen to consider, I am yet to find one which offers the same service hours and wrap around care that Llangollen offered, meaning I wouldn’t be able to complete my contracted hours at my current employment.

“In a time where the government are trying to implement work force changes to ensure women aren’t made to choose between a family and their career this is certainly a step in the wrong direction for the families of Llangollen.”

Rhiannon Wyn Hughes, Chair Llangollen Day Nursery Board, said: “This has been an upsetting decision for all of us.

“I have been involved with ECTARC for over 25 years and in that time we have needed to respond to a number of external changes to keep the building functioning and employment in the town.

“We had high hopes for the nursery and provided the funds necessary to turn the building into the lovely local nursery it had become. All the Ectarc and nursery staff worked incredibly hard to achieve this.

“The decision to close was not taken lightly. We have tried to explain to parents the reasons for closure, sadly we know we are not on our own with other nurseries closing every day.”

In a message to Chelsea Robinson recently, Ms Wyn Hughes went further into the reasons behind the closure, explaining:  “As trustees, we have been monitoring the development of the nursery on a regular basis, hoping for an improvement in the financial viability moving forward. Unfortunately the challenges of Covid and more recently the cost of living crisis and the increase in costs has worked against what we have tried to achieve.

“The information we considered when making the decision included:

 * The Denbighshire County Council Childcare Sufficiency Assessment for the area which indicates that there is a surplus of childcare places and a falling birth rate in the area

* The building requires further investment

* A large grant has been awarded to both primary schools in Llangollen to build new on-site nursery for aged 2 years + available from 2025

* The forecast  that we will be losing another 20% of children, after the summer, who are currently on our books.”

* The Facebook group set up for the parents of those affected by the closure is at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/220715008050894/permalink/6261287533993581/

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