BEST EMERGING NEW BUSINESS: Out of hours school care from Laochra Academy
Owner and founder of Laochra Academy Emer McVeety began her primary school teaching journey in Dublin and later Sydney, where she noticed the excellent out-of-school hours childcare services.
Upon moving back to Ireland, she set up her own business, which operates on premises in primary schools.
With 11 years of primary school teaching under her belt, Emer operates her services in Farnham National School, Killygarry National School and St Clare's Primary School.
Having begun last September, the academy currently provides services such as breakfast hour before school starts, junior hour when infants finish and after-school care throughout the school term.
They also run camps and full day care throughout school holidays, with 350 children having benefitted from the service “in some form” over the past year.
Each afternoon, the team provide a nutritious snack, support the children doing their homework and give them free play time. Laochra Academy also run an activity zone, which is put together using Emer’s understanding of the primary school curriculum, where children have the opportunity to participate in drama, art, sport, lego, and science among other activities. Each afternoon, children choose which activity they want to participate in.
“It was in Sydney when I was teaching over there I seen how every school has an out-of-school hours service that comes in on site.
“I see the transformative impact this can have on the whole school community so that’s why I decided to bring this back to the primary schools of Cavan,” explains Emer.
She believes Laochra Academy should win in the emerging business category because “not only” are they facilitating “a fun new afternoon for each child” in the service, they are also “providing a solution to the childcare crisis that is currently in all of Ireland but Cavan in particular”.
“We are registered with Tusla, which means that the families in our service can avail of the national childcare subsidy scheme, which the government in providing,” she said, outlining that this could mean the afternoon services cost a maximum of €12 per day, as little as €2/3 if families are means tested or even “totally free".
“The feedback from parents and principals has been overwhelmingly positive over the past year and we just want to continue to grow and support the school and families of Cavan.”
Contact us
Laochra Academy currently operates at Farnham National School, Killygarry National School and St Clare’s Primary School.
Phone: 087-7415209
Email: info@laochraacademy.ie