Pre-school forced to close

The Rock the Boat pre-school at the Maybridge Family Centre in Anson Road is to shut at the end of term, leaving the parents of 23 youngsters desperately searching for places at other pre-schools.

Lisa Exley, mother of three-year-old Darian, said: "I've been lucky. I've managed to get my daughter a place at the nursery next door. Lots of parents are struggling to find somewhere to take their kids."

Parents were told of the plans only last week, giving them just five weeks' notice that the centre will shut on December 17.

The pre-school stopped accepting new toddlers at the start of term in preparation for a possible closure, so other nurseries nearby are already full.

Mrs Exley, 30, of Maybridge Crescent, added: "Some people have been offered places in the town centre but for those who don't drive, it's unrealistic to expect them to be able to drop off and collect their children every day."

The site is owned by Worthing Council and managed by the Maybridge Youth Project committee, which, at the end of September, informed the pre-school's organisers they were disbanding and that they would have to deal directly with the council.

Anne Colbourne, director of Nestledown Child Care Ltd, which runs Rock the Boat and has seven staff employed there, said, "We have been fighting the closure of the building for weeks but as we are now the only group using the facilities, it looks as though the council has decided to cut its losses.

The council offered to extend the contract for another six months until July but with the building in the state it is, we couldn't continue there without repairing it and to do that, we needed a guaranteed five-year lease."

A new centre is planned for nearby Raleigh Way, but it is expected to take at least 18 months to be completed.

Mrs Colbourne added: "We are trying to accommodate as many of the children as possible, especially the older ones, but the younger ones will have to find other places to go. It's a shame as they may have to find playschools outside the area."

Parents are working closely with Nestledown Child Care and are organising a petition to present to the council in the hope that a suitable replacement site will be provided.

A council spokeperson told the Herald: "No decision has been made regarding the future of the building but we are hoping to relocate to a building nearby, once we have decided what is needed, with the playschool using the facilities in the short-term."

There is to be a consultation on the proposed replacement Raleigh Way family centre next month.