Louise Killeen Caulfield, from Lusmagh near Banagher, fulfilled a long-held dream last year when she opened her own pre-school, Hundred Acre Wood, in Eyrecourt. This year, the pre-school has expanded to offer a breakfast club and after-school service to children in the adjoining national school, St Brendan’s.
Louise says that she “always” wanted to work in childcare, even as a teenager. “Any chance I got to babysit family and friends I always took it; I even volunteered most of the time.” She was so certain about the career that it’s the only course she looked into on her CAO application: “I didn’t have to think twice about what I was applying for, I knew it was childcare. I didn’t have a plan B.”
She graduated with a BA in Early Childhood Care and Education from TUS Athlone and spent the next six years working in two childcare facilities. “I made friends for life, learned so much more, and made the best memories with all the children. Watching them grow and learn and head off to “big school” (primary school) always filled me with pride; seeing the confident, caring, happy little people complete a big milestone, and knowing I supported them getting that far!”
When the opportunity came up to open her own pre-school in Eyrecourt, she took it straight away. “I was so excited…opening my own preschool service was always a dream of mine.” It only took a few months for her to get the pre-school up and running thanks to “constant support and endless hours of hard work” from Louise and her family and friends. She chose the name because she has always been a Winnie the Pooh fan (the Hundred Acre Wood is where Pooh and his friends live). “It was just a perfect fit for me and my business.”
The pre-school started off with six students last year. “We made so many memories throughout the year and they will always hold a special place in my heart as my first class,” Louise says. She worked alone in the first year, but this year with numbers increasing, she has hired two staff members to join the team.
The philosophy at Hundred Acre Wood Preschool is: “child-led learning through play, respecting each child’s individuality, building strong partnerships with families, promoting kindness, inclusion and well- being; but most importantly; having fun and making the best memories! We support the children to be the best versions of themselves.”
In addition to thanking her family and friends, Louise is also grateful to her colleagues in St Brendan’s National School, who “welcomed me with open arms in 2025 and are always there for support and guidance.
The Hundred Acre Wood Pre-school is open Monday to Friday from 9am – 12pm. The breakfast club operates from 8am – 9pm, and the afterschool club from 2pm – 6pm Monday – Thursday, and 2pm – 5pm on Fridays. The pre-school is an ECCE (Early Care Childhood and Education scheme) service, accepting children from aged two years, eight months to five years, eight months. The breakfast club/ afterschool service is partnered with the National Childcare Scheme (NCS).
Spaces are still available in the pre-school and after-school service. To enrol your child, please email: Hundredacrewoodpreschool25@ gmail.com or contact (089) 241 8130.
