‘We’ve loved the children, we got great fun out of them all. There was never a dull moment’

After thirty years serving the Navan community where she set up one of the first pre-schools in the town, Lorraine Ferris said goodbye this week to her last ever pre-school graduates at Tiny Tots.

Located in St Mary's Community Centre, Tiny Tots has had more than 1,000 children pass through its doors over the years and indeed some of the children Lorraine taught are now grown up and have been sending their own children to her.

Lorraine and her colleague and great friend Kate Watters have worked together for more than 20 years. Both turned 60 within a day of each other at Christmas and decided it was time to retire but it was hugely emotional day for them both as they closed the doors to Tiny Tots for the last time and say goodbye to their last bunch of children.

Lorraine, who is originally from Dublin, moved to Navan when she met her husband Eddie, who is a paramedic in the town. She had trained as a Montessori teacher and with two small children of her own, decided to set up a pre-school in Navan, opening her first premises in Railway Street. It was one of the first pre-schools to open in Navan town and when she started off first, Lorraine said she also offered a drop-in service and recalled that many of the mammies would drop their children for an hour or two while they got their hair done in Richard Casey's next door or went and did their shopping on a Saturday.

After a few years at Railway Street, she was approached by Mrs McCabe, in St Anne's to see if she would be interested in opening a pre-school there to help with their enrolments. Their pupil numbers were low and it was felt a pre-school might help boost them.

“It helped because people were coming to us and they were used to being in the school and that environment and it helped them then when they went on to primary school there.

“We were in a prefab for a few years and then we moved to the music room and did it all up. It was a lovely big room. I was lucky to have a handy husband to do all the work. We were there for nearly ten years but in the end up we helped too much. The enrolments got too high and they needed the room back.”

“We spoke to the priest and because there was no pre-school in the centre of town and he knew it was needed, he said he would give us a room. It was an old TV room/bingo room and we did it up and have been here ever since,” said Lorraine.

For many years Lorraine and Kate ran a morning and afternoon session, catering for 16 children in each session but two years ago began the wind down and reduced to just the morning session.

“I added it up and over the years we had well over a 1,000 children,” said Lorraine. “We are allowed 16 children in each session for the size of the room and we have always been full. We always have a waiting list because we are in the centre of town.”

Kate, who is from St Finian’s Terrace and now lives in Blackcastle Lodge, said she loved her time in Tiny Tots and will miss it especially next September when she said it will really hit them.

Both Lorraine and Kate have grandchildren and wanted to wind down and have more time to spend with them. Indeed, among the last group of children to graduate from Tiny Tots is her Lorraine’s own grandson.

Over the years a lot has changed in the childcare sector and Lorraine said there is a lot more paperwork now than when she started out.

“When the regulations came in, it was great. It brought childcare up to a great standard and things were going along great. The ECCE scheme came in, it was great for parents in that they didn't have to pay. And then I went back to college to do my degree when I was 50 and the government would give you a little increase in your wage for having your degree.

“Then they brought in this core funding for the last couple of years, and my money went down. They are not putting the money into small pre-schools like us and I found we are running at a loss the last couple of years. To me it feels that a lot of smaller pre-schools are closing down. A lot my friends are the same. I know one who is closing this year and a few are closing in the next couple of years.”

Lorraine said there is a lot of extra work and gave the example that as well as doing accounts for Revenue every year, they also have to prepare a set of accounts for the school year.

“They are not putting the money into smaller pre-schools. If you had a bigger place like a creche with other rooms, you would get a bit more but it is just not working out for smaller ones. We have been looking for increases but it is falling on deaf ears.”

Lorraine believes the government needs to act now or a lot of smaller pre-schools will close.

Once Lorraine and Kate close Tiny Tots, it means the only pre-school in the town centre will be gone with the next nearest service on the Trim Road or on Flower Hill.

“We have to say we have a lot of happy memories,” said Lorraine.

“We got up in the morning, we always had a smile,.We always had a laugh. And the children have been great,” added Kate.

“We loved the children, we got great fun out of them all, never a dull moment. It’s like the confessional, whatever is said here, stays here in these four walls,” laughed Kate.

“The graduation is always very emotional anyway. The kids are going to a new school and you do worry about them and say I hope they'll be alright when they go into their new big schools. Then they would come back in to us in their uniforms to show them off,” said Kate.

“They would knock on the door to show us their uniforms so this time I've asked them to send pictures,” said Lorraine.