This year Clarkston Nursery celebrated their Golden Anniversary. To mark the occassion the nursery held an event and invited the local community to come and enjoy an evening in the nursery catching up with staff past and present, colleagues from East Renfrewshire and parents of children who had previously attended the nursery.
History of Clarkston Nursery
The history of Clarkston Nursery starts back in 1967 when a group of 6 local mothers looking for a facility for their children decided to form their own as there was nothing suitable in their area and so Clarkston Playgoup was formed.
After initially meeting in each other’s houses, they secured accommodation in Clarkston Halls. The playgroup was formally constituted in May 1968. It wasn’t until 1975 that the council banned the use of sand and water in the halls, and the group were relocated to its current home, Williamwood Parish Church Halls. The Playgroup had worked in partnership with East Renfrewshire Council since 1999 allowing parents to use their childs funding provision with the group.
In 2015, after a conversation with the Care Inspectorate, the manager took the decision to change the name of the group to Clarkston Nursery. The manager and the Care Inspector felt that this better reflected the fact that the nursery offered the same curriculum and qualified staff as other nurseries in the area.
Clarkston Nursery is a community resource that relies on parents stepping forward, year after year, to form a Parent Committee which undertakes the running of the nursery. The nursery manager is responsible for delivering the curriculum, staffing and anything to do with the early education and childcare provision, but it’s the parents themselves who own and oversee the nursery.
The nursery is a registered charity, and a non-profit organisation. Apart from staff salaries any surplus money available at the end of the year is ploughed straight back into the nursery for the good of the children.
It’s a real tribute to the local community that they have been willing and able to keep this resource available to the children of Clarkston for 50 years. The current manager, Maureen McKendrick says “The team and I see ourselves as the current caretakers of this lovely nursery. There have been lots of talented staff at the helm before us, and hopefully many more will follow. It’s a genuinely special place. We can only take up to 31 children in our morning sessions, so all staff – including myself – know all of the children really well. We also work really closely with our parent committee and all other families using the service. We’ve built great relationships and really do consider our parents to be our partners in their childs first steps in education”
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