A hugely popular childcare centre in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, which cares for more than 170 children is operating in a building riddled with cracks caused by defective blocks.
However, because it is not a home, it is excluded from the Government's redress scheme for mica-affected buildings, but parents and staff say the Government has a moral duty to step in and resolve the problem.
Geraldine Burke, manager of the Letterkenny Community Childcare Service (LCCS) said they have to be constantly vigilant, monitoring the cracks in the building on a daily basis to make sure it is safe.
The building has been tested and was found to be 35% mica/pyrite.
Some remedial work was carried out last year, but the cracks have started to appear again, and the only solution is demolition, she said.
LCCS is a registered charity, but Ms Burke said that because they are a business, they are not covered by the redress scheme.
Since the cracks started to appear in earnest some years ago, four attempts have been made to relocate the service to other buildings, but each fell through for various reasons.
Now, a site has been secured to build a new centre, but it will cost a total of €2.8 million.
Fundraising has begun and a partial loan is likely but there will still be a huge shortfall and the chairperson of the voluntary board of directors, Eoin Gildea, said it will be possible to secure the full funding needed locally.
Mr Gildea believes the Government is morally obliged to provide funding for the new building.
A lack of enforcement of regulations led to the mica crisis, he said, and it is the Government's responsibility to rectify the problems caused as a result.
In particular, he said, they have to recognise that this is a community service involving children and one which allows their parents to go to work.
But Mr Gildea asks, if it was closed down on safety grounds, where would the 160 families go?
LCCS is the only full-time community childcare service in the town and the demand for places is constant.
Based in a busy area of Letterkenny, with numerous companies nearby, it has 172 children attending and has a waiting list of more than 500.
Michelle Kavanagh has two children attending the centre and they love going in every day, she said.
The staff are wonderful and it is great for her to know that her children are happy and being well looked after, but, she said, parents need assurances that their children are safe in the building.
Ms Kavanagh says it is very stressful as a parent to know that a building inspector could come in at any time and close down the building and she says she would have no alternative childcare if it were to close.
The waiting lists for other childcare services in Letterkenny are ridiculously long, she said, and she knows they would not get a place.
Mr Gildea said that LCCS has won the highest possible rating from the Department of Education for its services, but Tusla is monitoring the premises regularly because of concerns for child safety.
He said the proposed new building would be in the same catchment area and would allow the service to increase capacity by 50%, which is badly needed in a town with several multinational and other companies whose employees need childcare.
Already, he said, people have had to turn down jobs or defer new employment because of issues securing childcare in Letterkenny and there is a genuine fear that if this new building does not go ahead and the current one has to close on safety grounds, then parents will have to stop working and this would have huge knock-on effects.
Mr Gildea said that there needs to be movement on this urgently and "we are hoping and praying that the goodwill we are showing by coming up with more than 30% of the funding. that the government will see our unique situation because of mica and steps in to help".
