Dear Colleagues,
These are the deadlines, important dates, and announcements for the week 25th – 29th April 2022.
DEADLINES/IMPORTANT DATES:
Monday 2nd May 2022
- AIM level 7 funding will automatically recommence for any service who has an approved AIM level 7 application but was funding the staff member using EWSS (see below for details)
Tuesday 3rd May 2022
- The application for AIM Level 4, 5 & 7 for 22/23 pre-school year opens.
- Aim level 5 applications open on the Hive. (See below for details)
Wednesday 4th May 2022
- Closing date for Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2021- 2022 (See below for details)
6th May 2022
Last day to contribute to the review of the Regulations governing the ELC Sector (see below)
FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
EWSS and AIM level 7
As EWSS ceases AIM level 7 funding will automatically recommence on 1st May for any service who has an approved AIM level 7 application but was using EWSS to fund the additional staff member, and who did not inform Pobal of their wish to revert to AIM Level 7 at an earlier date. Please see the full notice on the Early Years Hive for more information.
National Childcare Scheme
The NCS will no longer deduct hours spent in pre-school or school from NCS awards. This change takes effect from 2 May 2022.
These changes will be automatically added to the child’s existing awards however the hours on active, confirmed claims will not automatically increase. If a parent wishes to increase hours, and the provider can accommodate the additional hours, the claim must be updated by the provider on the Hive. Changes must be confirmed by the parent on their portal before payments can flow.
For more information, please refer to the official announcement on the Early Years Hive.
AIM Level 5 Applications
AIM level 5 can provide specialist equipment/appliances or capital grants towards minor building alterations to ensure a child’s meaningful participation in pre-school. AIM level 5 applications must be submitted at least 3 months prior to the child’s start date.
The application process for AIM level 5 for the 22/23 pre-school year will be open on the Hive from the 3rd May 2022. As this is a new process on the Hive training sessions, in the form of webinars, have been organised to provide service providers with an overview of the application process. Please refer to the Hive for dates and registration for training.
Annual Early Years Sector Profile
The Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2021/2022 is available on the Hive. Completion of the Annual Early Years Sector Profile is a condition if accessing Core Funding in late August 22. The data collected in the survey will not be used in the application form for Core Funding. The deadline to complete the Annual Sector Profile has been extended to 4th May 2022.
CCSP Saver Programme 2022 on the Early Years Hive
CCSP Saver registrations will be transferring from PIP to the Early Years Hive for the coming programme year 2022/23. For those services with CCSP Saver registrations, you can find a quick How-to-Guide on both the announcements page and the calendar page of the Hive here.
Review of the Early Years Services Regulations
Public consultation on the review of the Regulations governing the ELC Sector is open until 6thMay 2022. For more information and to access the survey and submissions template please click here
Core Funding Information
The First 5 website contains information about Core Funding including the aims of Core Funding, the timeline and application process, and recorded presentations by DCEDIY.
Please see link below:
Donation request for Equipment and Materials
We are asking services for donations of surplus equipment and materials to support Ukrainian displaced migrant children. Please see the attached letter for further details.
Supporting Children and Parents
DCEDIY have launched ‘Supporting Parents: A National Model of Parenting Support Services’. The model will improve and guide the development of parenting support services. A variety of parenting support services are offered across different Departments and this model helps bring them all together to help parents access supports they may need. You may find it useful to direct parents in your setting to this resource. It provides information and guidance on topics such as pregnancy and new parents, children with additional needs, domestic abuse, support for different age groups and more. For further information please follow the link below:
https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/ea6cd-supporting-children-and-parents/
Covid case advice
There are three national helplines for services:
- The HSE dedicated number for ELC/SAC services who have confirmed positive Covid-19 cases is 01-511 9777.
- For general Covid-19 queries you can contact HSE Live on 1800 700 700 or 01 240 8787 (Monday to Friday: 8am – 8pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am – 5pm) or visit https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/
- The national out of hours support helpline operates at weekends and bank holidays only:
