Tuam Childcare Facility forced to close after landlords abandon fire safety commitments
Ottoline Spearman
A childcare facility in Tuam has been issued with a closure notice by a fire officer after a landlord decided not to proceed with essential fire safety works on the building.
The Happy Ever After childcare centre, which supports 97 children, will stop operations on October 31st this year, leaving families scrambling for alternative childcare and 19 staff members facing unemployment.
This development comes over two years after the Landlord initially refused to carry out necessary fire safety upgrades, issuing an eviction notice in July 2023.
Following public pressure, the landlord reversed their decision, renewed the lease, and agreed to complete and fund the required works.
But two years later, the landlord have now informed Happily Ever After that they will not be funding or completing the fire safety works.
Consequently, the fire officer has been forced to issue a closure notice to both the childcare facility and the landlord.
"We are absolutely devastated," said Sara Walsh and Claire McGrath, owners of Happily Ever After.
"For two years, we have operated in good faith, caring for the children of Tuam while waiting patiently for the works to be completed. To be informed now that they will not be proceeding has left us, our families, and our staff in an impossible position."
"We have poured our hearts and souls into this facility for seven years. These children call this place their second home."
Megan Flaherty has four children who attend the crèche. "As a full-time nurse with no alternative childcare, I will have no option but to give up the career I love," she said.
This closure comes at a time when Ireland is facing a childcare crisis. Childcare places are at a premium across the country, with facilities struggling to meet demand.
Tuam already faces a significant childcare shortage, with long waiting lists at most facilities. Finding alternative placements for these children will be virtually impossible, the facility said.
Children in the ECCE preschool scheme will lose their placement just one year before starting primary school, while babies, toddlers, and after-school children will be left without care.
The facility is set to close in three weeks.
