MATER Health Services at South Brisbane has officially opened its first on-site child care facility in Queensland.
It is also believed to be a first for the Mater in Australia.
Mater ChildCare is the culmination of a long held dream and a $1.1 million injection by the hospital.
Resident Mercy Sister Eileen Pollard told the opening ceremony on July 15 that the sisters had dreamed of providing on-site child care for about 34 years.
Deputy director of Mater redevelopment, Sr Michaeleen Ahern, said it was only after the new children’s hospital was opened that the dream became a possibility.
Redevelopment director John Gilmour said negotiations between the Mater, the Education Department which owned the building, and a million-dollar commitment by the board had resulted in the new child care facility.
The new facility’s director, Kerry Simko, said it had been welcomed by the Mater’s 4000 staff.
The centre can accommodate up to 75 children from birth to school age on a full-time, part-time and occasional basis.
