SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT, MS. MARY McALEESE, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE CONNOLLY CHILDREN’S CENTRE
SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT, MS. MARY McALEESE, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE CONNOLLY CHILDREN’S CENTRE, 27 OCTOBER, 1998
I am delighted to be here this morning to take part in the celebrations marking the launch of the Connolly Children’s Centre. It is most encouraging to see a project like this coming to fruition. Today is an important occasion for all those who have worked so hard to make it possible.
It is sad to reflect that in a world of plenty, so many children in developed countries, as well as in developing countries, are homeless or neglected; they are sleeping in doorways or on park benches; they are begging for food at the side of the street. Against this background, it is great to meet a community that obviously cares so much for its children. Despite the fact that quality childcare services are recognised as one of the best ways of giving children a headstart in life, Ireland has a low rate of childcare provision compared to other EU Member States.
The Connolly Children’s Centre is an excellent example of what can be achieved. We recognise that childcare, like the educational system itself, can promote the educational, social and psychological development of children. The benefits gained by children at a young age will endure through to adulthood and will be garnered, not only by the child, but by society as a whole.
Realising a project like this is costly – costly both in financial terms and in terms of time and effort. What we must remember though is that it is an investment: an investment in our children, and therefore an investment in our future.
It is our children who will have to face whatever environmental and technological problems the future may bring, many of them created by our own generation; it is our children who will live in the Ireland of the future, however it is shaped; it is our children, in short, who will live with our successes, and with our failures. I recall a saying: “We do not inherit the world from our ancestors; rather, we borrow it from our children”. So it is vital that we prepare these young people in every way possible for the road that lies ahead of them.
Your children will not be the only ones to benefit from this new facility. The provision of accessible, affordable, quality childcare is most important in enabling women and men to combine their family and working lives. Many mothers and fathers are denied the opportunity of availing of education, training and employment because their time is devoted entirely to their children.
Parents in this area can now avail of such opportunities. By providing quality childcare, and by allowing parents to return to education or go out to work your Centre fulfills vital roles. It is precisely this sort of community co-operation – people working together and combining skills and talents that will enable you to overcome many of the problems that your community experiences. It never ceases to amaze me what communities can achieve when they come together and challenge the problems facing them. There are many success stories as a result both here in Dublin and throughout the Country.
I am glad to see that you were helped in providing this centre by Area Development Management through receiving support under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme. This programme strives to achieve an improvement in the quality and availability of childcare provision in Ireland from an equal opportunities and disadvantaged perspective. I suppose it is fair to say that the worth of this programme can be easily measured when we see how successful projects such as your own can be.
Local interest in this centre can be measured in that you have 47 children in the Centre with another 50 waiting for places and you have created 11 jobs for local people with another 2 on the way. I am told that there is a very happy atmosphere here at the centre amongst adults and children alike with an abundance of marriage proposals for staff albeit from four year olds.
I commend everyone responsible for the success of this project – you deserve the respect, praise and gratitude of all the people from this area. I thank you for the warm welcome you have given me today and I wish you every success in the years ahead.