MEDIA RELEASE
Ex-Forbury School will be new community centre for young families
“This is great news for South Dunedin. The Mission is has again been able to help safeguard a valuable community resource"
Sue Nash, our Community and Social Services section manager, says
the closed Forbury School will be used as a community facility for
families with young children. This will include Little Citizens
childcare and The
Early Years Hub.
“This is great news for South Dunedin. The Mission is has again been
able to help safeguard a valuable community resource,” Sue Nash
says.
The Mission is investing over $50,000 seed
money in the refurbishment programme, to be backed up
by volunteers, community and funder
support.
“The former school will be excellent for this new role with slight
modifications.”
The new premises were urgently needed because of the difficulties
the Mission has had maintaining
its current site.
“Realistically our current home has been past the end of its useful
life now for more than a decade. The buildings are cold, they leak
and require constant repair – money we just don’t have,” Sue Nash
says.
The Mission’s Little Citizens early learning centre manager Lisa
Foster agrees. “We’re really looking forward
to next month, when we’ll be all
moved in to our new centre. Plenty of parking, space and light and
nice grounds, and the location right in the heart of South Dunedin
make it perfect for young families.”
Lisa Foster, Sue Nash, Christine Thomas.
Photo courtesy of
Wilma McCorkindale, D-Scene.
New Forbury campus
From mid-year, the Methodist
Mission’s new Forbury campus will provide much improved
accommodation for local community facilities offered by
the Methodist Mission:
-
Little Citizens@ Forbury early learning centre
provides affordable quality childcare and early learning for
kids aged 0 to 5.
-
The Early Years Hub for families with children
from pre-birth up to six years old.
Little Citizens provides quality
early learning and childcare.
The Little Citizens difference includes: total family support,
enrolment flexibility, yummy meals, quality (great ERO reports) and
value pricing. The new site will be much more spacious, with full
sun and pleasant garden areas.
A
cosy friendly place where families / whānau can meet other parents,
services, and groups that can help them. Co-ordinator Christine
Thomas is planning increased outreach to community groups and more
connections being made. “The new Forbury site will have much more
space for groups to get together.”
1 May 2012