Parents and children and staff at the Fine and Dandy preschool in Finglas protested at the Dáil after receiving a legal letter informing them that the Department of Education and Skills had directed the local school to evacuate the space being used by the preschool – and they have asked Minister for Education, Helen McEntee, to take action to stop them being “put out on the road”.
The letter, sent by the solicitors for the Board of Management of St Malachy’s Mixed National School, told the preschool that it has 30 days to vacate the premises in order to make room for children with special educational needs – but locals say that the another solution must be found, such as building a portocabin on a green area they had reclaimed in the grounds.
Gillian Dandy, owner of the preschool, said that she was “shocked and devastated” to receive the legal letter after being told “completely out of the blue” that the preschool was being vacated. She said that she had met the principal of the school and was told that they could have up to 60 days before they had to leave but that this was still an “impossible timeframe”.
The Fine and Dandy preschool, which has been located in St Malachy’s school for more than 30 years, says it welcomes children from 2 years and 6 months and provides a “nurturing and fun environment” for “creativity, learning, and play”. It provides breakfast for children who attend, as well as a safe space, Ms Dandy said.
She said that the preschool was always a community endeavour, and that the staff ratios were higher to provide for the children – some of whom have additional needs. She said that had a licencing agreement with the school from 2019, but that the preschool was part of the community for almost 36 years.
Ms Dandy said that its “completely impossible” for the preschool to find another space even within 60 days, and that the vacation order was causing “huge upset and distress” to parents, staff and children. She said that receiving the legal letter felt “very intimidating” and that she and the staff “sat there crying, we were devastated” when they saw they vacation notice.
“The Department has to come to talk to us, they can’t treat the community in Finglas like this – a lot of the young mothers in the community are reliant on the playschool services,” she said. “There’s room for a Porto cabin in the garden, why can’t they provide that for us, for the children.”
Ms Dandy said that she and others had, with the school’s permission, reclaimed a waste area across from the school in 2019 and made it into a garden. She said that most of her staff had worked in the preschool for years, in contrast to high turnover in other services, and that one woman was aged 63, just two years away from retirement.
Local Councillor Gavin Pepper, who attended the protest at the Dáil, said that it was “disgraceful” and “completely unacceptable” that the Department of Education and Skills was seeking to disrupt one group of children and parents to make room for another, and called on the Minister for Education Helen McEntee to intervene to ensure that education and learning was available to all.
He said that the Fine and Dandy preschool cared for 44 children, and provided jobs for 6 staff, and was an essential part of the local community.
“My son has autism, and I completely understand the need to make sure access to education is provided for children with autism,” Cllr Pepper said. “But the government should be able to do both; they don’t need to close down one facility to make way for another. They say they want education for all, but they aren’t doing that here. You don’t put one set of kids out to put another set of kids in.”
“A big crowd of families and kids got the 40 bus into town and marched from O’Connell Street to the Dáil,” he said. “We wanted to talk to TDs and ask them to listen to the families and the kids who’ll be impacted by this.”
Gillian Dandy and another staff member, Amanda Gann, said that the reality was that 44 children would have no playschool in 30 days, and that the preschool was being put out on the road, unless the Minister for Education took action. “This will make me break my contract with the Department of Children – and break with the important service we’re providing to the community,” Ms Dandy said.
“We feel so let down and devastated – we want to meet the Minister for Education and ask her to find a solution for us. Otherwise, yes, our preschool is being put out on the road.”
Ms Dandy’s mother in law, Geraldine, founded the preschool in 1989, and was much admired locally for her work with the community, in particular with young mothers. The preschool helped a lot of young mothers to get back on their feet and obtain part-time work, Gillian Dandy said.
One of the women at the protest at the Dáil yesterday said that Fine and Dandy had helped her child by keeping him in the preschool for an additional year when she had difficulty finding him a school placement because he has autism.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do here,” she said, “where are all the kids going to go in 30 days?” She called on local TDs to do more to help families.
Cllr Gavin Pepper said that the government wanted education for all but that they were leaving families in the lurch.
“Why can’t the government provide more facilities so that the preschool can stay open? They’ve shown they can build modular homes at top speed, but they can’t operate at that level for Irish people, for kids who desperately need this local facility,” he said.
Both the Department of Education and St Malachy’s School were contacted for comment. A spokesperson for the Department said it does not comment on individual school lease arrangements and individual school contracts with third parties. “However, the Department has always been clear with schools, boards of management and patron bodies that school accommodation should be prioritised for the teaching and learning of students,” the spokesperson said.
“The Department and the NCSE continue to work intensely to secure 400 additional special education classes for the coming school year, and the NCSE has indicated that there is a significant need for special class places across Dublin and in particular in the Finglas area.”
“369 of the 400 additional classes for the coming school year have now been sanctioned, and every action is being taken to ensure that the remaining classes will be sanctioned by the end of this week. The NCSE is working closely with these schools to ensure that these classes are in place for the coming school year. This work is in addition to 2 new special schools in Dublin which are also being established for the coming school year.”
“More generally, Early Years providers are encouraged to engage with the Department of Children if they need to seek supports regarding their service.”
