Plenty to celebrate for Athlone Creche
Athlone Voice, 18 October 2005
THE BUSY Kids creche in Athlone had plenty of reason to celebrate over the last week. Not only has it secured Government childcare funding of more than €50,000 but its operator, the Sonas Group, was also commended with a recent nomination for a prestigious quality and exellence award.A capital grant of more than €50,000 was approved for the Busy Kids crèche, Cloughanboy, Athlone under the Government's national childcare programme as part of a national allocation announced by Justice Minister Michael McDowell.
"We are delighted with this news and we will be using this money to enhance current facilities at the crèche. Everybody is also aware that the issue of childcare is high on the agenda at present and I hope that a provision for tax-breaks will be made in the next Budget, said Sonas chief executive Gerry Jordan.
Mr Jordan was also delighted that Sonas were recently nominated for a prestigious award which celebrates the drive, commitment and achievements of nominated companies committed to quality in Ireland.
Sonas was nominated in the Government/Health and Social Services category at the National Quality & Excellence Awards 2005, held last Thursday in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin.
They were two other nominees in this category, which included the Westmeath County Enterprise Board.
Sonas's nursing homes are the first and only nursing Homes in Ireland to have received the Quality Mark from Excellence Ireland for excellence in healthcare delivery.
Sonas's childcare creches 'Busy Kids' have also received the Quality Mark from Excellence Ireland for excellence in childcare delivery.
Along with Busy Kids in Athlone, Sonas operates three other crèches, two in Limerick and one in Lucan.
It also runs nursing convalescent homes in Roscommon and Enniscrone and is set to open a 60-bed nursing home and retirement apartments beside its Athlone crèche in December.
Mr Jordan explained that Sonas' headquarters will also be based in Athlone, and these offices combined with Busy Kids crèche and the new nursing facility, will employ in the region of a hundred people.
The provision of capital funding forthe Athlone crèche was welcomed by Westmeath Deputy Donie Cassidy.
"The provision of €50,000 to provide facilities in Athlone will be welcome news for many families for whom childcare costs are the equivalent of a second mortgage," he said.
"The provision of childcare is not only important to individual families, it is also a national asset because without such services thousands of talented men and women would be effectively removed from the workforce and Ireland would not be such an attractive location of investment," said Deputy Cassidy.
