Togher Family Centre 3.57

Togher Family Centre is a voluntary, community-based project located in the heart of Deanrock Estate, Togher, Cork City, where we occupy a house, which has been extended and modified to meet the highest standards of health and safety and requirements of the Childcare Act 1991.

The centre provides family support, accessible, affordable, quality early years education and development in partnership with parents, a creative after school project, mother and toddler groups, formal and informal adult education and developmental programmes through self directed groupwork, for the men and women of Togher parish.

The project developed from a long established community based pre-school facility (1973).The pre-school has always been characterised by a great sense of local identification and this laid the foundation for a large element of parental involvement based on huge voluntary effort and support. With the help of the community, the Pre-School developed with little or no financial support.

The development of the Togher Pre-school and Family Centre over the past thirty-seven years reflects the growth and difficulties associated in general with this type of provision in Ireland. Prior to receiving funding from the Bernard van Leer Foundation in 1989, the centre operated on poor and inconsistent financial support. The Bernard van Leer Foundation funding ceased in February 1995.