Welwyn Garden City nursery closing down after 15 years
A Welwyn Garden City nursery is closing down. File photo. Credit: Getty Images/Design Pics RF - Credit: Getty Images/Design Pics RF
A Welwyn Garden City nursery has announced that it is set to close next month.
Sycamore Day Nursery in Welwyn Garden City is closing. - Credit: Archant
Sycamore Day Nursery is to close its doors on June 23 after 15 years on the former QEII hospital site in Howlands.
Rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, Sycamore Day Nursery has been operating in the midst of a construction site following the closure of the old hospital.
Making the announcement this week, Virginia Mead-Herbert, managing director at the employee-owned Childbase Partnership, said all efforts were now focussed on ensuring children, staff and parents are fully supported up to, and after, the closure of Sycamore Day Nursery.
Measures include efforts to keep children and a familiar member of Sycamore staff together during the transition period, with placements, where possible, in other local Childbase Partnership day nurseries.
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All local nurseries have been invited to leave literature in the reception area at Sycamore so that parents can access other options available for the care of their child.
Ms Mead-Herbert said: “This has been an extremely difficult decision and one we have delayed as long as possible to ensure all measures to keep Sycamore open had been fully explored.
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“The closure of the main hospital and relocation of services to Stevenage has had a profound effect on occupancy over a number of years.
“The recent demolition of hospital buildings and the construction of new housing around the nursery has continued the decline in attendance and hampered us in our efforts to attract new families.
“We have been forced to accept that the nursery is no longer viable given these significant changes in our operating environment.
“We are fully supporting the nursery team at Sycamore and expect to be in a position to relocate them to neighbouring nurseries, and will confirm their continued employment in the weeks ahead.”
