This week in childcare

Dear Colleagues, 

These are the deadlines, information, and announcements for the week 25^th– 29^th July 2022. 

DEADLINES / IMPORTANT DATES: 

Thursday 28^th July 2022- *Now Open* 

• Core Funding – Stage 2 application process has opened on the Hive (see below for details)  

Friday 5 August 2022 (5pm) 

• CCSP 2022 funding agreement must be activated (see below for details) 

Tuesday 16th August 2022 (5pm) 

• ECCE 2022 funding agreement must be activated (see below for details) 

Sunday 21st August (10pm) 

• NCS 2022 funding agreement must be activated (see below for details) 

29^th August 2022 

• Some changes to the NCS commence (see below for details) 

FOR YOUR INFORMATION 

Core Funding Application Process 

Yesterday 28^th July 2022, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) circulated detailed information to all services regarding Core Funding and confirmed that the Core Funding application process (Stage 2) is now open on the Hive.  

The documentation circulated included:  

• Technical Guidelines 
• Applicant Guidelines 
• FAQ document  
• Parent Statement for Partner Services  
• Parent Statement Guidance document 

All services are encouraged to read all the associated documents, provided by the DCEDIY, very carefully before submitting your Core Funding application as once your application is submitted it cannot be amended. 

If you have queries after reading the documentation, and prior to submitting your application, please contact us to discuss.  

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your Core Funding application, you can raise a ‘Service Request’ on the Early Years Hive, or email eypc@pobal.ie or call 01 5117222. The Early Years Provider Centre is open Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm. 

In order to support services to complete the Core Funding application process Pobal are running webinars to help you navigate and complete the form. Details of upcoming webinars are detailed below. Keep an eye on your notification tab on the Hive as more dates may be added. 

 The full notice is available on the Hive under announcements, and all associated documents are located under Resources> Help & Support> Core Funding Guides & FAQs  

Remember the CCC is there to support you so please do let us know if you have any queries. It is important you submit your application correctly, so your Core Funding value is correctly allocated for the year ahead. 

NCS Changes  

From 29^th August the upper age limit for the Universal element of the NCS scheme will increase from 3 years of age to 15 years of age. This means all parents of children between the ages of 24 weeks and 15 years can apply for the NCS universal subsidy.  

Also, the minimum rate for the Income Assessed Award will be raised to 50 cents for all ages. Relevant Income Assessed awards will be recalculated with this new rate and awards will be updated accordingly. Parents will not need to confirm these claims again, unless they have not previously confirmed their claim.  

For further information on how these changes will affect awards and claims please refer to the full notice on the Early Years Hive> announcements section.  

If you require further support in relation to this, please raise a Service Request on the Hive. Parents seeking further advice or support should be directed to the Applicant Portal or the Parents Support Team on 01 906 8530. 

Programme Readiness 2022/ 2023 

Programme Readiness 2022/23 for ECCE, NCS and CCSP Saver programmes has been open for services on the Early Years Hive since May. Services can complete programme readiness tasks including fees lists and service calendars, as well as activate programme Funding Agreements.  

To ensure you are included in the preliminary payments you must have the funding agreements activated by the following dates: 

• ECCE Programme 

ECCE 2022 funding agreement must be activated by 5pm on Tuesday 16^th August 2022 to be eligible for the first preliminary payment. A copy of the ECCE Declaration Form 2 must be submitted before you can activate the ECCE funding agreement. To submit this form, go to the ECCE Pre-Contracting page on the Hive and upload a completed copy of the ECCE Declaration Form 2. Please see the ECCE Guides section of the Hive for guidance. 

• CCSP Saver Programme 

CCSP 2022 funding agreement must be activated by 5pm on Friday 5^th August 2022 to be eligible for the first preliminary payment. Please see the CCSP Guides section of the Hive for guidance. 

• NCS 

For NCS, a service calendar for both 2022 and 2023 must be created on Hive to allow 52-week awards which span across both programme years. If you have children registered for NCS 2022, the NCS 2022 funding agreement must be activated by 10pm on Sunday 21^st August. Please see the NCS Guides section of the Hive for guidance. 

Tusla Re-Registration 

Services who re-registered with Tusla in 2019 are required to renew their registration now. The registration renewal process requires Registered Providers to submit required documents, on the Tusla online Portal, which includes a signed declaration form to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements.  

Guidance documents, recorded webinars and a new eLearning course are available to support Services with Tusla registration renewal requirements. You can access all of these supports at the following link: Tusla Registration renewal  

Covid case advice   

ELC and SAC providers and Childminders that have positive cases and require support can contact the HSE ELC/SAC dedicated helpline on 01 511 9777.  For general Covid-19 queries you can contact HSE live on 1800 700 700 or 01 240 8787 or visit the First 5 website (www.first5.gov.ie) for the most up to date information and guidance.   

Mullingar Fleadh 2022

Mullingar is bringing Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann back home, from 31st July to 7th August 2022

Westmeath CCC office will be closed to the public for CCC work – a remote service will be in place. However, Westmeath CCC staff and volunteers will be operating a Baby care Area from our training room.

Call in and see us and Enjoy the Fleadh !!

Muriel, Martina, Karen, Natasha , Michelle and Sharon

Should you have any queries on any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0449335454 or info@westmeathchildcare.ie