The municipal nursery in Garachico has now been closed for three academic years. The Municipal Children’s Centre (CIM) La Casita Amarilla closed its doors on July 31, 2023, and has yet to reopen to welcome the children of the town. This educational facility was designed to accommodate approximately 20 children. For 21 years, since 2002, the public building has been a educational beacon for hundreds of families in the Isla Baja region: over 600 residents have benefited from this centre in the past two decades.

The Garachico Town Council has not issued a new tender despite the previous contractor notifying that they would vacate the facility in August 2022, a year in advance. Additionally, in January 2023, this was communicated in writing to the local Council’s Education Department.

While the nursery remains closed to children, the building, located in the old dock area, has been utilised for part of the shooting of a film starring William Levy in 2024, Under a Volcano, as well as for some of the floats for the Lustral Festival celebrated in Garachico last summer.

Nearby Nurseries: The Alternative

As a result, families in Garachico have had no choice but to send their children to nurseries in neighbouring municipalities. Daniel Gutiérrez, for instance, has been taking his 11-month-old daughter to the Centro Infantil Los Duendes in Los Silos since she was seven months old. Both Daniel and his partner work shifts that begin at 7:30 AM and end at 4:00 PM. “We have to wake up earlier to drive, especially since there was a nursery we could easily walk to. We take her in the morning and pick her up in the evening, at a time when parking in Garachico is challenging for residents,” he explains.

Gutiérrez laments that it is a pity that basic services for Garachico residents are not being maintained. “There is no foresight, and solutions are not sought before problems arise,” he argues. Furthermore, he expresses being “resigned to the fact that there won’t be a solution, just an excuse for why they haven’t opened the nursery.”

“A Considerable Effort”

Elisa Suárez has recently become a mother for the second time, three months ago. Even though her second daughter is not yet of nursery age, they are already considering enrolling her in Los Silos when she is eligible. For Suárez and her partner, having to travel to the neighbouring municipality represents a “considerable daily effort” as they need to rearrange their work and family schedules, leading to more time spent commuting and an economic cost in fuel and public transport.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that it remains closed. It is a fundamental and necessary service for families in Garachico,” Suárez states. “Many people depend on this to balance work with daily life. This forces us to either leave our jobs or request reduced hours. Not everyone can afford a private centre or travel to other places with public facilities. In many cases, there are no available spots for those who do not reside in that municipality,” she declares.

New Tender for the Nursery Within Two Months

Suárez is puzzled that “it has taken three years to issue a tender for the nursery, while the municipal daycare, located at CEIP Antonio del Valle Menéndez, finished in June and will reopen under a new concession on September 23.” Moreover, she recalls that before the last contractor vacated the nursery, Garachico’s mayor, Heriberto González, met with families and “made the promise that it would definitely open,” she concludes.

The Town Council’s Position

Garachico’s mayor, Heriberto González, dismisses the possibility of reopening the municipal nursery. He argues that “after studying the viability of a new concession, the figures do not add up. It would not be profitable for a company to provide this service as current regulations stipulate. In addition, the previous contractor charged approximately 200 euros per child per month, whereas now it would be necessary to pay 500 euros, which is out of reach for most families.”

The alternative proposed by the Garachico mayor lies in the opening of the Children’s School, which has yet to be established, situated in the El Lamero development. “Negotiations for the partial reception of this land are well advanced alongside the construction of a new module at CEIP Antonio del Valle Menéndez for two-year-olds,” he maintains. In this regard, he announces that free education for children of this age will commence next month in this school.

The Garachico Town Council’s plan is to consolidate all primary education under one zone: “It would accommodate children from six months to two years at the El Lamero Nursery, following some internal renovations and complete external refurbishment, and children aged two in the new construction at CEIP,” he proposes.

However, the town’s leader does not provide a specific date for when this plan might become a reality in Garachico.