Minister Foley visiting Cavan and Monaghan to mark recent developments in childcare, disability and family services
- Foilsithe: 31 Márta 2026
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 31 Márta 2026
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, is today visiting a range of early learning, childcare and disability services across Cavan and Monaghan, meeting with staff, service providers, families and community organisations.
The visit will highlight significant investment and service development taking place across both counties through the Building Blocks scheme, Core Funding, Equal Start and disability services funding.
Speaking today, Minister Foley said:
“I’m very pleased to visit communities across Cavan and Monaghan today to see, first‑hand, the dedication and innovation that underpin childcare and disability services across this region. The work being done by providers, their staff teams and local communities is inspiring. These services play a vital role in supporting children, young people and adults to access high‑quality care and supports in their own communities.”
Minister Foley will begin her visit at Krafty Kidz in Ballyconnell, a long‑standing not‑for‑profit childcare organisation that now operates multiple services across the region. Krafty Kidz has received €750,000 under the Department’s Building Blocks scheme to buy and refurbish a new premises at Doon Heights, which will deliver at least 40 additional full‑time places for children aged 1–3.
The Minister will then visit Happy Days Childcare in Belturbet, which has grown significantly in recent years. The service now caters for 158 children, up from 68 in 2024, and staff numbers have increased from 12 to 30.
In Monaghan Town, Minister Foley will visit the Teach na Daoine Family Resource Centre which is part of the network of 134 family resource centres funded by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Teach na Daoine provides a range of community services including high‑quality, inclusive early learning and school‑age care for children at Teach na Páistí. Teach na Daoine Family Resource Centre also acted as the lead agency in an advisory group which has received funding to set up a new Family Resource Centre in Carrickmacross in Monaghan.
The Minister will continue to Drumlin House in Cootehill, an adult day service and training centre funded by the HSE. The centre provides essential supports for 96 people with disabilities, including skills development, independence building and community participation. Drumlin House is receiving €2.9 million in 2026 from the HSE Cavan Monaghan disability services.
It operates for 46 weeks per year and offers a day service of up to 30 hours per week to adults with intellectual disability. The HSE capital plan includes provision for a new building and high support facility at Drumlin House to help increase capacity and to facilitate school leavers with complex needs. The Drumlin House Board of Management has received planning permission for the project.
In Shercock, the Minister will visit the Shercock Child Resource Centre, which has been allocated €500,000 under the Building Blocks scheme. The project will deliver at least 34 additional full‑time places for children aged 1–3, complementing the service’s existing full‑time, sessional and school‑age childcare provision.
The childcare portion of the visit will conclude at Sunny Hollow in Ballymachugh, a rural childcare service that provides full‑day care, part‑time care, sessional places and school‑age childcare. Sunny Hollow received Government funding under the Building Blocks scheme, supporting the purchase and development of a property. This project will deliver 75 additional places for children aged 1–3 and will significantly expand local early‑years capacity.
Minister Foley said:
“I want to acknowledge the leadership and commitment being shown by staff across all of the services that I’m visiting in Cavan and Monaghan today, and the strong partnerships they have built with families and their local communities. Today’s visits demonstrate the significant progress underway in early learning & School age childcare, and disability services across region, and the positive impact this investment by Government will make for children and families. I look forward to seeing these projects develop further in the months ahead.”