We were delighted to welcome Letterkenny Community Childcare to Letterkenny Chamber, we visited Geraldine in the facilities before Autumn – always a warm welcome from the staff and children!
Pictured, is Manager, Geraldine Burke, who has been proactively involved with Letterkenny Community Childcare for over 27 years. Geraldine has a thorough knowledge of the Early Years Provision, extensive business knowledge of the Early Years sector and is instrumental in the delivery of Siolta and Aistear framework within the service. Geraldine advocates strongly for necessary changes required to ensure Letterkenny Community Childcare thrives despite significant challenges posed to the building.
Letterkenny Community Childcare is an integral service within the local community – operating for the last 35 years as a registered charity, not for profit organisation.
The Childcare Centre cares for and educates children aged 6 weeks to 12 years. The Centre has five distinct areas, babies, toddlers, pre-school full day, pre-school sessional and afterschool. Facilities also include two safety surfaced outdoor areas, a garden, and an indoor physical area.
The Childcare Centre has been the recipient of numerous awards, including being repeat recipients of the All Ireland Centre of Excellence Awards – recognition of stellar service and acquisition of accreditations have been many through the years since the initial submission was made to the Department of Justice Equality & Law Reform under the Childcare programme (2000-2006) part of the National Development Plan (N.D.P.) for a purpose-built Community Childcare Centre – in 2000.
Fellow Chamber member, Donegal County Enterprise Fund accessed the initial funding to build the Childcare facility on their site and lease to the centre. The Childcare Centre gained additional funding to design and equip the building and thus LCCC was officially opened on 3rd November 2003 as a full day service.
LCCC operate under the principles of Siolta the National Standards for Pre-school services and Aistear the pre-school curriculum. In 2012 LCCC opened a second service for the ECCE (free pre-school year) and Afterschool. In 2013 the senior team commenced training in Siolta (The principles unpinning Childcare) gaining accreditation in June 2015. In 2020 all staff completed a Siolta Quality Mark, taking two years to complete and successfully attained a Level 4 the highest level possible.
Letterkenny Community Childcare Centre with Geraldine at the helm, continually strive to improve their service, creating and providing high quality childcare and education for our community’s youngest citizens. A pillar of care, progression, and support at the centre of the community
