Nursery closure meeting and article
Save the nursery | 24.06.2002 15:33
URGENTcouncil meeting tonight about St Johns
Please join parents in lobbying the Cabinet meeting from 6pm outside
Hackney Town Hall, Mare Street.
Parent, carers and staff are outraged at a plan to close St Johns nursery in central Hackney. The council cabinet is due to discuss the proposal on Monday 24 June. [yes tonight]
Hackney Council's Cabinet will vote on the proposal to close St. John's nursery. Managing Director, Max Caller, and Education Cabinet member, Councillor Ian Peacock, have tabled a report proposing that the nursery be closed in August. The report acknowledges that St. John's provides a good service, but argues that it must close in order to make savings in the Early Years budget. Nowhere does the report consider the effect on children's welfare of the nursery closure.
In March the council wrote to parents at St Johns and Fernbank nurseries with the familiar refrain that a financial crisis meant that cuts were necessary and that one of these two nurseries would have to close. St Johns has now been chosen because "although successful in attracting a full capacity of children and in a prime location, it does not represent value for money and cannot be sustained, nor is there any room to increase its client base."
At present 45 children use the nursery. they are threatened with (at best)being shipped off to all parts of the borough. Even more importantly, the number and range of childcare places in Hackney will decline. There are around 1,500 children on waiting lists for Council nurseries in Hackney - this Borough needs more public nursery provision, not less.
St Johns is a popular nursery in a nice site. it has a large, tree-lined garden for instance. We do not want our kids removed, we do not want childcare cut, we do not want every service pared ot the legal minimum while the rich and business laugh all the way to the bank.
Parents have pledged to do whatever they can to fight this closure.
Contact; Charlie Kimber for the parents' campaign
joeeamon@aol.com
addresses to protest about one o'clock club and nursery closures:
please write to them voincing your objection to cuts to childcare provision
JHOPFINGER@gw.hackney.gov.uk>
(Jackie Hopfinger is Acting Head of Early Years)
alan.wood@gw.hackney.gov.uk>
(Alan Wood is head of Education Dept in Hackney)
Please join parents in lobbying the Cabinet meeting from 6pm outside
Hackney Town Hall, Mare Street.
Parent, carers and staff are outraged at a plan to close St Johns nursery in central Hackney. The council cabinet is due to discuss the proposal on Monday 24 June. [yes tonight]
Hackney Council's Cabinet will vote on the proposal to close St. John's nursery. Managing Director, Max Caller, and Education Cabinet member, Councillor Ian Peacock, have tabled a report proposing that the nursery be closed in August. The report acknowledges that St. John's provides a good service, but argues that it must close in order to make savings in the Early Years budget. Nowhere does the report consider the effect on children's welfare of the nursery closure.
In March the council wrote to parents at St Johns and Fernbank nurseries with the familiar refrain that a financial crisis meant that cuts were necessary and that one of these two nurseries would have to close. St Johns has now been chosen because "although successful in attracting a full capacity of children and in a prime location, it does not represent value for money and cannot be sustained, nor is there any room to increase its client base."
At present 45 children use the nursery. they are threatened with (at best)being shipped off to all parts of the borough. Even more importantly, the number and range of childcare places in Hackney will decline. There are around 1,500 children on waiting lists for Council nurseries in Hackney - this Borough needs more public nursery provision, not less.
St Johns is a popular nursery in a nice site. it has a large, tree-lined garden for instance. We do not want our kids removed, we do not want childcare cut, we do not want every service pared ot the legal minimum while the rich and business laugh all the way to the bank.
Parents have pledged to do whatever they can to fight this closure.
Contact; Charlie Kimber for the parents' campaign
joeeamon@aol.com addresses to protest about one o'clock club and nursery closures:
please write to them voincing your objection to cuts to childcare provision
JHOPFINGER@gw.hackney.gov.uk> (Jackie Hopfinger is Acting Head of Early Years)
alan.wood@gw.hackney.gov.uk> (Alan Wood is head of Education Dept in Hackney)
Save the nursery