Early Years Childcare & Education Programme

Under the Early Years Childcare and Education Programme the County Childcare Committee aims to support new and existing childcare services throughout the county, including playgroups, preschools, crèches and parent/carer and toddler groups.
Preschool services relate to any preschool, playgroup, Montessori School, High/Scope school, Steiner School, crèche or similar services. Preschool services may be privately run or operated by voluntary committees within a community. There are currently 25 community-run and 12 privately run playgroups in the county. There are also 13 full day care services catering for children under the age of 5 years.

• Areas of Support
• Mentoring Support
• Childcare Workers Panel
• Tutors Panel
• Parent / Carer and Toddler Groups
• Media initiative for Children – Respecting Difference Programme
• Childcare Providers Network
• Siolta The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education
• Aistear
• Free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)
• Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) Scheme

Areas of Support

General development support for new and existing services includes:
assistance with completion of funding applications
advice in relation to securing premises
developing aims and objectives
developing policies
assistance with recruitment of staff and human resources issues
assistance with setting up a childcare facility
support to those participating in quality programmes.

Mentoring Support

The Childcare Support and Development Worker assists with the provision of mentoring support to childcare providers who will receive professional mentoring in a specific area, which will enhance the quality of the service and the capacity of staff and committee members.

Childcare Workers Panel

Leitrim County Childcare Committee has formed the Leitrim Childcare Workers Panel. It is intended that the Panel will be available to all childcare services to provide cover for holidays, sick leave or occasional, unforeseen emergencies. We hope that this will be a valuable resource for Childcare Services who are often in a position where they must take on relief workers at short notice. The Relief Panel of Childcare Workers will provide access to qualified staff to ensure that services are complying with the Childcare (Pre-school) Regulations 2006 with regard to adult/child ratios.
The Panel provides childcare services with a list of qualified workers available to work on a relief basis. It is the responsibility of the Childcare Provider as the employer to follow their normal recruitment procedures in employing the Panel Member. This will include checking references and Garda Vetting. The Panel has been verified by the HSE through Leitrim County Childcare Committee. If you would like a copy of the Panel or if you wish to apply to be included on the Panel please contact the office.

Tutors Panel

Leitrim County Childcare Committee is compiling a database of tutors which will be used when planning events/workshops/information sessions for parents, childcare providers, parent and toddler groups and children. We are inviting anyone with tutoring skills or who has experience facilitating workshops or sessions to submit their information. Tutors may have skills in a variety of areas such as FETAC childcare courses, dance/music workshops, arts and crafts, physical activity, cookery or other areas of interest for adults and children. Please forward your CV detailing your qualifications and experience to our office.

Parent / Carer and Toddler Groups

Parent / Carer and Toddler groups offer an important service to families. Some parents / Carer can feel isolated and parent / carer and toddler groups can provide valuable support to parents. Parent / carer and toddler groups provide play opportunities for children and social opportunities for parents/ carers and childminders in a relaxed atmosphere. New members are always welcome so if you wish to attend a group in your area please contact the County Childcare Committee for contact details of parent & toddler groups in your locality. If you wish to set up a parent / carer and toddler group please contact us for further information.

Road Safety Education at Pre-school level

The Road Safety Authority is rolling out a Road Safety Education Programme for Preschool Services. The programme is called the Simon and Friends Series which reinforces 4 key messages in road safety; holding hands, stopping, following a good example and look and listen. Each message is accompanied by a story book, songs and activities. The programme was originally produced in Manchester and adopted for use in Ireland by the RSA. The resources were piloted in County Mayo, Galway, South Dublin, Longford and South Tipperary and feedback was excellent. The programme is supported by the OMCYA and can be linked to Standard 9: Health and Welfare of the Síolta Programme.
Each participating preschool service receives a pack containing the story books and a CD on which all the stories have been recorded together with a number of road safety songs and a short road safety game. They will also receive a separate ‘Teachers Guide’ called “Hand-in-Hand” and contains contacts for providers, games and activities to accompany stories, certificates for the children and tips on how to practice the road safety messages in the story book. Leitrim County Childcare Committee will be offering this training to childcare services during the year.

Media initiative for Children – Respecting Difference Programme

The International Fund for Ireland provides funding an innovative pre-school project aimed at helping young children to develop positive attitudes to diversity. Developed and run by Early Years – the Organisation for Young Children, The Respecting Difference Programme delivers mutual understanding and diversity training and resource packs for practitioners, teachers, parents and pre-school management committees across Northern Ireland and the Border Counties.
“The Respecting Difference Programme is a unique media initiative for children using cartoons and interactive play materials to help young children understand and respect those who are different and encourage inclusion in a very simple child-friendly way. The programme, backed by research and evaluation from Queen’s University Belfast, has been effectively tested and piloted to ensure it delivers an effective programme for young children – what is good for children is good for everyone.”
To date 19 childcare services in Leitrim have completed the training and 7 childcare services are participating in the Respecting Difference Media Initiative Training Programme this year. The programme is a pre-school project aimed at helping young children to develop positive attitudes to diversity. The programme uses cartoons and interactive play materials to help young children understand and respect those who are different and encourage inclusion in a very simple child-friendly way. As part of the programme practitioners receive training, support visits from an Early Years Specialist, in addition to parent engagement workshops and management support and training sessions.

Childcare Providers Network

The aim of the childcare providers network is to provide support and information to both community and private childcare providers throughout the county. During 2010 participants of the childcare providers network attended topical workshops and training sessions which were linked with the Standards explored during the Síolta Networks such as a half day seminar on Síolta, Aistear and Regulation 5, consulting with children workshop, practical workshop on Síolta, workshops on transitions in preschool and primary school and another on utilizing environments in the childcare setting.

Siolta The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education

Síolta is the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education. Síolta is a quality assurance process which addresses all aspects of practice in early childhood care and education services. It is designed to support practitioners to develop high quality services for children aged birth to six years and is relevant to all settings where children spend time out of their home environment.
The Síolta framework is accompanied by manuals for full day care, part-time and sessional services and childminders and infant classes. The manuals outline the Principles, Standards, Components of Quality and Signposts for Reflection which make up the main body of Síolta.
When implementing Síolta into a childcare service, practitioners must look at their childcare environments, which include all aspects of the service from the car park, entrance hall, through to play spaces both indoors and outdoors for children to facilities for staff and parents, and examine if these spaces are meeting all these needs and how they measure up to the standard and its related components.
The Síolta standards are as follows;
Standard 1: Rights of the child
Standard 2: Environments
Standard 3: Parents and Families
Standard 4: Consultation
Standard 5: Interactions
Standard 6: Play
Standard 7: Curriculum
Standard 8: Planning and Evaluation
Standard 9: Health and Welfare
Standard 10: Organisation
Standard 11: Professional Practice
Standard 12: Communication
Standard 13: Transitions
Standard 14: Identity and Belonging
Standard 15: Legislation and Regulation
Standard 16: Community Involvement
An outline of each of these standards together with the principles and components of Síolta can be found at www.siolta.ie. Services are supported in implementing Síolta through the assistance of Síolta Co-ordinators, funded for this purpose, and by the local CCC. .

Aistear

Aistear, the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework for early learning supports practitioners in planning for and providing enriching, challenging and enjoyable learning opportunities for children from birth to six years. It can be used in different types of settings including full and part-time daycare, sessional services, infant classrooms, children’s homes and childminding settings. The framework was developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) with practitioners, children, parents, researchers, those working in training and professional development and in the government departments concerned with the early years. As a result Asitear reflects key research messages on early childhood learning and takes account of early childhood in Ireland.
Like Síolta, Aistear is for all children from birth to six years, it can be used by parents and practitioners in sessional services, full and part-time day care settings, infant classes in primary schools, childminding settings and in children’s own homes.
Aistear has four elements:
• Principles and Themes describe children’s learning and development.
• Guidelines for Good Practice focuses on partnerships with parents, interactions, play and assessment.
• User Guide gives practical information about using Aistear.
• Key Messages summarises important points from research used in developing Aistear.
Aistear is based on 12 early childhood principles such as the uniqueness of the child, children as citizens, the importance of play and hands-on experiences. These principles link very closely with the principles underlying Síolta. Instead of using developmental domains or subjects Aistear presents children’s learning and development through four interconnected themes:
• - Well-being
• - Identity and Belonging
• - Communicating
• - Exploring and Thinking
Each theme has aims and broad learning goals which focus on developing children’s dispositions and skills, nurturing attitudes and values, and building knowledge and understanding of their world.
Aistear’s guidelines describe and offer examples of good practice in:
• building partnerships between parents and practitioners
• learning and developing through interactions
• learning and developing through play
• supporting learning and development through assessment
The guidelines contain lots of examples of Aistear-in-action in different types of settings. These are presented for 3 overlapping age groups: babies (birth to 18 months), toddlers (12 to 36 months) and young children (2 ½ to 6 years).
These learning experiences are detailed accounts of children learning through particular activities or events and with other children and adults while using various objects, play props or materials. They describe what children say, do and make during the activities and show the adult’s important role in supporting and extending learning and development. Visit the NCCA website at www.ncca.ie/earlylearning to see Aistear for yourself.

Free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)

The ECCE is a scheme designed to give children access to a free Pre-School Year of appropriate programme-based activities in the year before they start primary school. Participation in a pre-school programme provides children with their first formal experience of early learning, the starting-point of their educational and social development outside the home. Children who avail of pre-school are more likely to be ready for school and a formal learning and social environment.
The ECCE is open to all children aged between 3 years 3 months and 4 years 6 months in September each year. To avail of the free pre-school year in August/September 2010, children must have been born between 2nd February 2006 and 30th June 2007. To avail of the year of the year in September 2011, children must have been born between 2nd February 2007 and 30th June 2008.
Almost every pre-school service is participating in the scheme. A list of services in year area can be obtained from the CCC. Parents can contact services in their area to arrange for enrolment. If your child is already attending a preschool service, whether it is a playschool or a full or part time day care service, you can ask the service provider is they are participating in the scheme.
The upper age limit of 4 years 6 months will be extended where a child cannot start primary school until s/he is more than 5 years 6 months of age, due to either the enrolment policy of the local schools or having been assessed as developmentally delayed.
Services participating in the scheme will be paid a capitation fee for each qualifying child enrolled. In return, the service will be required to provide an appropriate programme of activities in early childhood care and education (ECCE) which will be free to parents.
Children attending a sessional playschool service, typically provided for about 3 hours each day, will normally receive pre-school year sessions for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week over 38 weeks. The standard weekly capitation fee in these cases is €64.50.
Children attending a full or part-time daycare service will normally receive pre-school year sessions for 2 hours 15 minutes, 5 days a week over 50 weeks. To facilitate parents whose children attend a full or part-time service for only 3 days a week, the service may provide 3 daily sessions of 3 hours 45 minutes each week. The weekly capitation fee in these cases is €48.50.
Some sessional playschool may choose to open for 50 weeks in the year rather than 38, in which case they will provide daily sessions of 2 hours 15 minutes, and full or part-time services may choose to also provide sessional playschool services in which case the 38 week model may apply.
Services in the scheme must provide the pre-school year free to parents. A service may charge parents for additional services as long as (a) these are provided on an optional basis and (b) appropriate programme based activities are provided to children not participating in an optional activity.
For example, a service can offer an additional activity such as music or dance classes which parents can choose to avail of for a charge. It they do not wish to avail of this activity, their child must continue to be provided with an appropriate alternative activity. Services can also charge for hours which are additional to the free pre-school provision e.g. if a child is in full-day service for 10 hours, a parent should expect to pay for the 7 hours 45 minutes per day which are not free. An additional 30 minutes per day, which would be charged for, may be offered to a child in a sessional playschool. Outings, birthday parties, snacks etc can also be charged for, provided they are optional to parents.
The ECCE scheme was introduced at the earliest possible date (January 2010) after its announcement, rather than waiting until September 2010. As a result children who participated in the scheme in this first pre-school year benefited from a shorter pre-school year than those who will participate in forthcoming academic years. Had the Office for the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (OMCYA) delayed the introduction of the scheme until September 2010 it would have been too late for many children to gain any benefit from the free pre-school provision.

The OMCYA is committed to supporting children with special needs within its early childcare and education programmes. For this reason the exemption from the upper age limit for children with developmental delay and the pro-rata option for parents of children with special needs was introduced.

In addition in February 2010, the OMCYA requested the Office of Disability and Mental Health, the body with responsibility for support services for pre-school children with special needs, to set up a working group to review the existing arrangements.

As the scheme is a universal one year free pre-school year, there never was a second year entitlement for any child. However, given the need for a broader review of services, and having regard to the fact that the first free pre-school year was a “short year”, in March 2010 the OMC YA undertook to consider, on a case by case basis, allowing a second pre-school year in September 2010, to children who had been assessed by the HSE or a treating consultant as having a significant disability and having the potential to benefit significantly from a second year in a mainstream setting. Some children were approved under this additional and discretionary measure. As this provision applied in 2010 only it will not be available to children in September 2011. The options for children with special needs are, from September 2011
1 full year during the year the child qualifies by age or
1 full year if the child applies under the exemption from the upper age limit or pro rata i.e 1 full year spread over two years (e.g. 3/2 days first year and 2/3 days the 2nd year)

All applications for children with special needs must be approved by the OMCYA in advance so applications must be received prior to the commencement of the scheme in September 2011. Applications should be addressed to the Childcare Directorate, Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Hawkins House, Dublin 2.

Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) Scheme

The introduction of a follow on scheme to the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) with effect from 1 Sept 2010 was announced in the budget in Dec 2009. The new Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) scheme is available to community not-for-profit childcare services only and is also implemented by the OMCYA. The scheme offers parents access to reduced childcare costs. From Sept 2010 the CCS scheme contains the following provisions:

Band A

• Parents will continue to qualify for band A subvention where they are in receipt of a social welfare payment
• Parents in receipt of Family Income Supplement will also qualify for Band A subvention
• Parents in this category must be provided with a weekly fee reduction of €100 in the case of full day care, €50 in the case of part time services, €33 in the case of a sessional service and €16 in the case of shorter hours service.
• In the case of a child referred by the HSE, subvention will be increased to the Band A rate
• Band A parents in receipt of Job Seekers Benefit will qualify for subvented childcare for part time, sessional or shorter hour services only, but not in respect of full time services.

Band B

• Parents will qualify as Band B where they hold a medical card or a GP visit card.
• Parents in this category must be provided with a weekly fee reduction of €50 in the case of a full time service, €25 in the case of a part time service, €17 in the case of a sessional service and €8.50 in the case of a shorter hours service.
• Subvention rate of €50 will apply to low income working parents e.g. holders of a medical or GP visit card.
• Parents verified by OMCYA as Band A in the previous year’s return but who would no longer be eligible for subvention may also attract subvention at this rate.

The table below outlines the weekly subvention based on Band A and B and the type of service the child is attending.

How do parents qualify?

In September of every year, the childcare service will ask you to complete a Parental Declaration Form (PDF).

Completed the form with parent PPS number (only one parent’s PPS number is required-that of the person who is in receipt of any benefits) and the PPS number/s of your child/children.

The service sends all PDF’s up to the OMCYA where the information is verified.

The OMCYA then sends the service a list of qualifying children.

The service may ask you to bring in evidence to prove your entitlement as there can be a time delay between completing the form and the OMCYA verifying the information.

If the OMCYA does not identify you as entitled, you can appeal this decision directly with the OMCYA.

Parents please note:

• Each community childcare service set their fees based on the cost of providing a quality childcare place in their service.
• The cost of places will vary from service to service.
• Parents not entitled to subvention under Band A or B must pay the full rate.
• Childcare services will ensure your personal information will be confidential.
• You cannot claim both CCS and ECCE in respect of one child however you could have one child in CCS and another child in ECCE.

Contact us!

If you require any further information on upcoming training or events or if you would like to suggest ideas for information sessions or workshops, please do not hesitate to contact us.