Laois crèche faced with constant reopening delays despite shortage of spaces

A Portlaoise childcare facility that was forced to close last year due to the unexpected sale of the property has been left in limbo waiting to reopen.

SuperKids Childcare Centre provided childcare and afterschool services for around 90 families and employed 12 staff before it was forced to close last August when the building's landlord decided to sell the property to another childcare provider who has yet to open. 

Staff and parents were given three months' notice of the closure, leading to immense pressure on families to seek alternative places for their children in a county already faced with severe shortages in childcare spaces. 

The former SuperKids Manager and owner, Sandra Lobanovska, said that since then she has purchased a building in Rockview, Portlaoise but has faced consistent delays with reopening. 

Sandra took out a mortgage for the building which took eight months to close on. She is now in the process of getting planning permission for the facility, but Laois County Council has requested further information on her application. 

"It's basically been one step forward and five steps back. It's a long time and a lot of money because every single letter and report costs money," Sandra told the Leinster Express / Laois Live. 

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Sandra said that she had initially hoped to open her business in January, but was faced with delays. She hopes to open in September but admitted "that's probably not going to happen either."

With the constant delays, Sandra said it could even take a few years to reopen.

"I don't know what to expect anymore," she said.

A major point of frustration for the businesswoman is that the county is experiencing a childcare crisis, yet there is no help for those who are looking to alleviate this crisis by opening up facilities. 

"There is absolutely nothing. There are no grants, no loans, nothing. It's very frustrating that everybody screams that there is a childcare crisis and that government is in a partnership with providers, but there is no partnership. I've been all alone struggling and knocking on every single door.

"It's just been postponed and pushed back with more questions about silly queries. I have a readymade business, I have my staff on a standby and my customers. All I need is to just open up."

Sandra has reached out to the Laois Childcare Committee, local TDs, and Laois County Council for any help to push the reopening along, but has received none.

She said there is nothing out there for providers such as herself, whether it's help with planning permission or financially. 

In February, Laois TD Brian Stanley raised the issues with childcare costs and spaces in the county in the Dáil. During this address, he said that one family in Portlaoise was told it would cost €1,430 for just one space for a child in a crèche, as well as a €450 deposit to be given within 48 hours. 

Sandra said that this couple was actually a former customer of SmartKids and that many parents have been struggling since its closure. 

A former employee of SmartKids, Emma Conroy, told the Leinster Express / Laois Live that a lot of parents still haven't found places for their children. One family was told that afterschool alone would cost €650 per month. This family were also told by this particular centre that they would need a €450 deposit to keep a space for their baby that wasn't born yet.

Sandra said: "A lot of people have been struggling since I closed because it was a big place and people were happy where they were. A lot of people have gone somewhere else and are still messaging me about when I'm opening. It's been hard for everyone. The most frustrating part is that the crisis and problem is not for government, it's for parents."

Parents created an online petition last year to keep SmartKids open, with almost 500 signatures gathered, which Sandra said she greatly appreciated. 

The former owner said she there were no options to lease in Portlaoise either. She had came to an agreement with one landlord, but a bigger company came in and offered higher rent. 

Of the twelve staff employed by SmartKids, seven people are now on social welfare in the hopes that Sandra will be able to reopen soon. Five staff had to seek employment elsewhere. 

"It's a pressure as well because I feel responsible for those people and it wasn't their fault that they lost their jobs. They were pushed out of their work where we were all happy," Sandra explained.