The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Building to be turned into childcare hub
Aformer nurser y bu i ld ing in Dundee is to be transformed into a modern childcare centre that will include a community services hub in its grounds.
F lex ib le Ch i ldcare Services Scotland (FCSS) has been granted a new licence to renovate the old Fintry Nursery on Fintry Road, which has been derelict for almost 10 years.
The charity has also been granted funding, via the Access to Children Fund, to create a new out-of-school childcare facility for 24 children in the nursery’s grounds.
Out-of-school care, which has been designed to support priority groups in the area, will primarily be delivered outdoors while the building renovation work is carried out.
Lesley Ta i t , Flexible Childcare Scotland ’s Dundee manager, said: “This is a unique space with an extensive outdoor area in a bu i lt -up community.
“The funding will allow us to create a modular satellite building in the garden for out-of school care.
“Children are becoming more disconnected with the natural world, and this funding will support us to create an environment for them to delve unhindered into nature.
“We will resource and introduce too ls for imaginative play; loose parts, cooking outside, fire pits, and den-making.
“This is an experience
that many of the children will not have had access to previously.”
The aim is to provide “accessible and affordable” childcare to 70 school-age children from low-income families. It will also include a community space, with initiatives that include a foodbank and a repair, reuse, recycle scheme.
The refurbishment of the
main building is expected to start in the spring and be comple ted by ne xt autumn.
Ground preparations and improvement to the garden area will start this month and the modular buildings are anticipated to be on site in January.
FCSS acquired the property for £1 in a community asset transfer.
Susan McGhee, chief executive at Flexible Childcare Services, said: “We are delighted to receive the licence from Dundee City Council. It means that we are one step closer to creating our first centre of excellence; a community hub with childcare at the core with a range of family and community services led by local people.”