Celebrations for official opening of Garden City childcare setting

Flintshire County Council has celebrated the official opening of the Garden City childcare setting.

The official opening also coincided with the setting’s first birthday celebrations.

Although Garden City childcare had been due to open in June 2021, this was delayed until September of that year.

This was due to Canolfan Enfys needing to use the facilities until the summer of 2021 as their building in Mold needed to be repaired.

Canolfan Enfys is a school in Mold for children between three and seven with additional needs.

The Garden City setting provides sessional childcare for children from age two to four years old.

Qualified staff provide an open and inclusive environment where all children can feel valued, safe and able to express themselves fully whilst embedding community and global values.

Garden City Childcare has been providing provision for Flying Start funded places, Childcare Offer, Childcare and Play Grant applications and privately funded children.

From January 2022, Garden City Childcare also became part of the Early Entitlement educational scheme and is introducing the New Curriculum for Wales.

At present, 31 families access the 2.5 hour playgroup sessions which are run both in the morning and afternoon.

Flintshire’s Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Social Services and Wellbeing, Councillor Christine Jones, said:

“I am delighted to be here today to celebrate this wonderful facility and to welcome all our guests. I am proud to be a part of celebrating the first Local Authority childcare setting in Flintshire.

“Thanks go to Jenni Rochfort, our Community Parenting Support Manager, who identified a gap in the market and developed the business case for this facility.

“Demand has been so high that we are recruiting two more staff members and, as the setting has been so successful, they are looking forward to welcoming the Council’s first apprentice in childcare, due to start in September.

“We also wish our first cohort of children well as they move onto nursery placements in September.

“It is a wonderful success story and I wish everyone all the very best for the future – I am sure you will all go from strength to strength.”