Pre-School

We Provide

Two Pre-School leaders with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Early Childhood Care & Education (Level 8)
Full time staff who are qualified in minimum Fetac Level 6 Childcare
Play based Curriculum with a more structured routine
Help children’s learning to discover their own independence, confidence, intellectual, social and emotional development and encourage them to explore their environment
Introduce different themes so to help grow their imagination and knowledge about the world around them through creativity, sensory and play based activities
Each child is allowed to express, grow and develop their own individuality, while promoting self-esteem.
Activities planned to help develop their concentration and learn to share and socialise with their friends.

Curriculum

Aistear is the curriculum framework for children from birth to 6 yrs. Its aim is to help learning and development through four interconnected themes – Well-being, Identity & Belonging, Communicating & Exploring and Thinking.

It provides practitioners the tools to support children’s learning and development. It encourages both adult and child emerging interests and helps to plan activities around these topics.

It helps to encourage children to develop their curiosity and feed their imagination about the world and environment around them. It helps the practitioners to identify areas in a child’s learning that may need additional support.

It allows the connection between practitioners and families and helps embrace and support their values, practices, traditions and beliefs.

ECCE

The Early Childhood Care and Education is a 2-year scheme designed to give children free access to appropriate programme-based activities. All children who qualify are entitled to 2 full academic years before they begin Primary School. The scheme offers 3-hour session, 5 days per week for 38 weeks of the year. The scheme begins in September of each year.

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 scheme will raise the standards in that services will implement the National Framework for Early Childhood Learning with both the Siolta and Aistear curriculum being delivered.

Eligibility

To avail of the ECCE programme with effect from :

1st Sept 2021 - 1st Sept 2022

1st Sept 2022 - 1st Sept 2023

1st Sept 2023 - 1st Sept 2024

1st Sept 2024 - 1st Sept 2025

1st Sept 2025 -1st Sept 2026

Children must have been born between the following dates (both dates inclusive)

1st Jan 2018 - 31 Dec 2018

1st Jan 2019- 31 Dec 2019

1st Jan 2020 - 31 Dec 2020

1st Jan 2021 - 31 Dec 2021

1st Jan 2022 - 31 Dec 2022

The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme provides early childhood care and education for children of pre-school age. The scheme is offered in early years settings (pre-schools, Montessori’s, creches, playgroups) for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, 38 weeks of the year. All children are entitled to 2 full academic years on the ECCE scheme.

Children are eligible to start the ECCE scheme in the September of the year that they turn 3 years old. For example, a child turning 3 years old in 2025 can be registered on the ECCE scheme in September 2025.

Check your child’s ECCE eligibility on the ECCE calculator here

ECCE 2024 Calendar

This ECCE Programme is open from 19/08/2024 to 11/07/2025.

We will be closed on the following dates:

19/08/2024 - 23/08/2024
28/10/2024 - 01/11/2024
20/12/2024
23/12/2024 - 27/12/2024
30/12/2024 - 03/01/2025
03/02/2025
20/02/2025 - 21/02/2025
14/03/2025
17/03/2025
14/04/2025 - 18/04/2025
21/04/2025 - 25/04/2025
05/05/2025
02/06/2025
23/06/2025 - 27/06/2025
30/06/2025 - 04/07/2025
07/07/2025 - 11/07/2025

This Calendar has been registered on the EY HIVE in Pobal