Municipal Nursery in Garachico Remains Closed
The municipal nursery in Garachico has now been closed for three school years. The Municipal Child Centre (CIM) La Casita Amarilla closed its doors on 31st July 2023 and has yet to reopen for the children of the village and port. The educational facility has the capacity to accommodate approximately 20 children. For 21 years, since 2002, this public building has been an educational reference for hundreds of families in the Isla Baja region, having served over 600 residents in the past two decades.
Failure to Issue New Tender
Despite the previous operator informing the local council in August 2022 that it would be vacating the premises, the Garachico Council has not issued a new tender. The prior operator later confirmed this in writing to the Council’s Education Department in January 2023.
Alternative Solutions for Families
As the nursery remains closed, families in Garachico have been forced to send their children to nurseries in surrounding municipalities. Daniel Gutiérrez has been taking his 11-month-old daughter to the Los Duendes Child Centre in Los Silos since she was seven months old. Both he and his partner start work at 7:30 am and finish at 4:00 pm. “This means we have to get up earlier to drive, when we could have a nursery within walking distance. We need to drop her off in the morning and pick her up in the afternoon, and parking in Garachico can be challenging for residents during that time,” he explains.
Gutiérrez expresses concern, stating, “It’s a shame that basic services for Garachico residents are not prioritised. There is no planning, and solutions are not sought until problems arise.” He feels “resigned because there will be no solution, just an excuse for why the nursery isn’t reopening.”
A Significant Daily Effort
Elisa Suárez welcomed her second child three months ago. Although her baby is not yet of nursery age, they are already considering enrolling her in Los Silos when she is eligible. Suárez and her partner find it a “considerable daily effort“, as they have to reorganise their work and family schedules. It also adds more time each day for travel and incurs “economic costs in petrol and public transport.”
“I think it’s appalling that it remains closed. It’s a fundamental and necessary service for families in Garachico,” Suárez states. “Many people rely on this service to balance work and daily life. We feel forced to leave our jobs or request reduced hours. Not everyone can afford private centres or travel to other municipalities with public facilities. In many cases, there are also no available spots for those not residing there,” she adds.
New Tender for Play Centre in Two Months
Suárez is puzzled by the fact that it has taken “three years to issue a tender for the nursery“, while the municipal play centre at CEIP Antonio del Valle Menéndez closed in June and will reopen with a new concession on 23rd September. She recalls that before the last operator left the nursery, Mayor Heriberto González met with families and “promised it would be opened, come what may,” she concludes.
The Council’s Position
Garachico Mayor Heriberto González rules out reopening the municipal nursery. He argues that “in studying the feasibility of a new concession, the figures do not add up. It would not be profitable for a company to run this service under the current regulations. Additionally, with the previous operator, a fee of approximately €200 per child per month was charged, whereas now it would need to be €500, which is beyond the means of most families.”
The alternative proposed by the Garachico leader involves the opening of the Child School, which has yet to launch, located in the El Lamero development. “Negotiations for the partial acceptance of this land are quite advanced, together with the construction of a new module at CEIP Antonio del Valle Menéndez for children aged two,” he states. He announces that free education for toddlers will begin next month in this school.
The council’s plan is to unify all primary education in one area: “It would accommodate children from six months to two years at the El Lamero nursery after some internal renovations and comprehensive external improvements, while two-year-olds would be accommodated in the new construction at the CEIP,” he suggests.
However, the leader of the Villa and Port does not provide an exact date for when this proposal will become a reality in Garachico.
