These are the deadlines, information, and announcements for the week of 5th – 9th February 2024.
DEADLINES / IMPORTANT DATES:
Monday 12th February 2024
Deadline for the Core Funding Review & Confirm submission
Friday 16th February 2024
Finance and Impact Returns (FIRs) submission deadline
23/24 QAP Midpoint Review Period closes
Friday 22nd March 2024
Financial reporting deadline for Core Funding
FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
Launch of Public Consultation on New Draft Childminding Regulations
On Thursday 8th February Minister O’Gorman launched the public consultation on the New Draft Childminding Regulations.
Minister O’Gorman’s Press Release can be accessed on the following link:
Public Consultation Information can be accessed on the following links:
gov.ie/en/consultation/2071d-public-consultation-on-the-draft-childminding-regulations/
gov – National Action Plan for Childminding 2021 – 2028 (www.gov.ie)
This public consultation aims to ensure that as many childminders as possible can have their say. Westmeath County Childcare Committees will facilitate focus groups with childminders throughout the county in the coming weeks. These focus groups will be held in person and online. Further details on dates and times will be confirmed shortly.
Notice for services located in schools – closure day due to referendums (8 March)
Early Learning and Care/School Age Childcare Providers located within a school premises or on the school grounds, and where the school is used as a polling station for elections/referendums on a day which the ELC/SAC service is scheduled to be open are not required:
- to amend their calendars
or
- apply for force majeure
Services providing the ECCE programme are not required to make up that day for the purposes of meeting the 182 day rule in the programme year.
Mid Term Break Reminder
As services are closed for the mid-term on Thursday 15th February and Friday 16th February, with the option to extend to a five-day break, it may be necessary to make the following changes on your Early Years Hive.
We advise making any necessary changes as soon as possible to ensure there are no issues when returns are submitted and payments processed.
NCS: Service Calendar and Returns
If your service is closed for part or all of the week, you must mark the closures on your NCS service calendar accordingly. You must also note whether it is a subsidised (paid) closure or not.
For more information, please see ‘How to add a closure’ on the NCS Service Calendar section of Help & Support.
For school-aged/ECCE children, if you are increasing their hours during mid-term, please ensure you do not forget to amend the hours for children whose hours reduce after mid-term. As you know NCS subsidy hours cannot be claimed for hours that a child is in school or ECCE, or hours that your service is closed, and any over-claims are liable to be recouped.
NCS returns must be submitted on the Early Years Hive each week. Returns become available from the last day (Sunday) of the reporting week and must be completed by the following Tuesday and are based on the previous week’s attendance. If a return is not submitted within the required timeframe, all subsidy payments will be suspended until it is submitted.
Changes cannot be made to service calendar opening hours or claim hours once a return for that week has been submitted on the Early Years Hive.
If you require further assistance, please raise a Service Request using the following categories ensuring that you include the CHICK number in the request.
- Programme: NCS
- Request Type: NCS Calendar
- Request Type Details: General
ECCE: Service Calendar
Providers in contract for the ECCE programme are reminded that changes to service calendars must be first approved by County Childcare Committees (CCCs) and parents must be given 20 working days’ notice in writing of any change to the service’s calendar.
Copies of such notices must be kept on file for compliance purposes.
Approved providers in contract for the ECCE Programme must be open for a minimum of 38 weeks (or 182 days) over the programme year.
For further information on service calendars, please contact your local CCC or refer to the ECCE Service Calendar section of Help & Support.
If you require further assistance, please raise a Service Request using the following categories:
- Programme: ECCE
- Request Type: ECCE Calendar
- Request Type Details: General
CCSP Saver Programme: Amending Sessions (e.g. a child is moving from part-time to full-time)
If a registration is changing and needs to be updated from part-time to full-time, please input a CCSP Leaver with the date the child is changing service level. A new registration should then be created with the updated level of service for the appropriate period, within 6 weeks of the start date of the new registration.
Please see ‘How to end/add a CCSP Saver Programme child registration’ on the CCSP child registration section of Help & Support for guidance.
If you require further assistance, please raise a Service Request using the following categories:
- Programme: CCSP
- Request Type: Registrations
- Request Type Details: Leaver
Core Funding Review & Confirm
The February Review & Confirm window will close on Monday 12th February 2024. Prior to completing the Review & Confirm, you must ensure that all data on the Service Profile is up to date. Secondly, the Core Funding Application Module must be at status ‘Approved’. If the Application Module is at a ‘Referred Back’ status, the issue must be rectified prior to completing the Review & Confirm. Support documents can be located on HIVE>Resources>Help & Support>Core Funding>Core Funding Application.
Core Funding Payments
After the review and confirm window is closed, Core Funding payments will only continue to be processed as per the payment schedule on HIVE, provided your February Review and Confirm is at an approved status.
Core Funding Reporting Requirement Year 1
The DCEDIY have agreed a transitional arrangement for financial reporting to cover year 1 and year 2 of the Core Funding scheme. Financial reporting requirements in this transitional phase have been significantly simplified and streamlined and the material now available on the Early Years Hive reflects those changes. It should be noted that the Financial Management Tool is optional. The financial reporting deadline for Core Funding is 22nd March 2024. The revised reporting requirement during the transitional phase will consist of a sector specific Income and Expenditure Report. This Income and Expenditure Report will significantly reduce the reporting requirement on partner services. Relevant documents can be located on Hive> Resources>Programme Documents>Core Funding documents>Core Funding Reporting Requirement Year 1 (2022/23)
Please contact your Development Worker if you require support.
23/24 QAP Midpoint Review
Reminder that the 23/24 QAP Midpoint Review Period closes on 16th February 2024. This will be an opportunity, for those who need it, to amend their identified activities mid- way through the year due to circumstances changing.
To do so you will repeat the original process, via the link originally emailed to you by Westmeath County Childcare Committee (CCC), then upload your new Quality Action Plan to your ‘My Service Profile’ on the HIVE system for validation”.
Should you experience any difficulties please contact your Development Worker for support.
Finance and Impact Returns (FIRs) for December 2023
The Finance and Impact Returns (FIRs) for December 2023 need to be completed and submitted through Pobal Online.
The DCEDIY have advised:
- The importance for all community services to continue to submit FIRs to Pobal
- These returns provide key information that allows DCEDIY and Pobal identify and help community services to help and resolve problems
- They act as an informative tool for services in the effective planning of their financial future
The deadline for submission has been extended to Friday, 16 February 2024 at 5pm and submissions should include information relating to September- December 2023 inclusive.
Contact the Early Years Provider Centre (EYPC) with queries by raising a ‘Service Request’ on the Early Years Hive.
Please follow the steps below:
- Login to the Early Years Hive
- Select ‘request type’
- Select the programme: “Financial and Impact Returns”
- Click the relevant sub-category
Access to Better Start training through Continuous Professional Development
Each member of staff must have their own active directory account to take part in training. When staff self-enroll for training through the LMS365 course catalogue they must self-enroll using their own accounts.
Enrolling under a different account may result in certificates of completion issued under a different username and the course not being recorded on the individual’s learning transcript.
To access the support guides, please see Help & Support > Better Start L&D Guides.
For further support with any queries, please contact:
Professionaldevelopment@betterstart.ie
OECD Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey
This year marks the first year that Ireland is participating in the OECD Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS Starting Strong). Recruitment for the survey is already underway. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) began contacting selected services in December to gather a sample that is representative of the wider sector. If your service has been selected, it is important that you complete and return the ‘listing form’ included in your information pack. This form asks you to provide details of all early years educators and managers in your setting who either:
a) regularly work with children under three (U3)
OR
b) regularly work with children aged three to school age (ISCED 02)
A sample of early years educators and managers from each of these groups will be invited to complete an online survey between February and April 2024. The information provided will help to support the working conditions and training needs of early years educators and managers and build the overall quality of the workforce.
The CSO have a dedicated support line to help selected services through the steps involved in completing the listing form. Selected services can access support from the CSO on the contact details provided below:
Gemma O’Connell Duff: Telephone: (+353) 21 453 5110 / Email: talis@cso.ie
Further information on TALIS Starting Strong can be found at: bit.ly/TalisStartingStrong
Upcoming Workshops
Diversity Equality and Inclusion Workshop
Westmeath CCC will be delivering our next suite of DEI training for early years educators over 2 dates / Tuesday 20th February and Thursday 22nd February.
Training dates ; All dates must be attended.
- Tuesday 20th February 1.30 pm – 5.30pm
- Thursday 22nd February 1.30 pm -5.30 pm
Venue – Westmeath CCC training room postcode – N91E430
To book your place on this workshop email nreid@westmeathchildcare.ie
DEI workshop will link in with Section 1 of Core Funding QAP – To attend workshops organised by Better Start Quality Development Service, your local CCC and/or a NVCO (e.g. Early Childhood Ireland, National Childhood Network, Barnardos, and Childminding Ireland), linked to one or more of the pillars of practice in the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide.
STEAM for ECEC workshop with Paula Walshe . DkIT – Limited places available
When: 29 February 2024 Time: 1-7pm Location: Westmeath CCC training Room N91E430
- Attendees must be qualified ECEC educators (from Level 5 up)
- The workshop is open to educators who are working with children from 0-6 years in an ECEC setting.
What will this workshop cover? What is STEAM and why is it important to ECEC practice?
- Strategies to incorporate STEAM using resources you already have.
- Unplugged technology in ECEC environment
- Hands on interactive STEAM activities
- Incorporating STEAM into Aistear curriculum framework
- STEAM in an emergent and inquiry play based curriculum.
- All participants will receive a training pack. See attached Leaflet.
Booking through Eventbrite only – https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/steam-for-ecec-workshop-tickets-749899127477?aff=oddtdtcreator
ALWAYS CHILDREN FIRST FOR EARLY YEARS SERVICES – Sheraton Hotel, Athlone
Basic Level – one day training course. (delivered over two dates) BOTH DAYS NEED TO BE ATTENDED TO RECEIVE CERTIFICATE.
This is a new training course designed by the HSE especially for the Early Years Sector in partnership with the Early Years Children First Steering Committee. It will replace the Keeping Safe Training Programme and HSE Children First Foundation Level.
This Child Protection (CP) training programme is for:
- For DLP, DDLP, Team leaders due to renew their CP certificate;
- For new childcare practitioners and practitioners due to renew their face to face CP training please complete the TUSLA Children First E-learning programme.
- This one-day course will provide staff with information on recognising abuse, responding to concerns and safeguarding children. All participants will receive a certificate of attendance.
Date: 12th & 14th March 2024
Time: 1.00pm- 4.00pm
Venue: Sheraton Hotel – Athlone
Cost: €35 (covers cost of both days)
PLEASE ONLY BOOK FIRST DATE OF TRAINING 12th March, this will guarantee place on course, booking only the second date 14th March will not guarantee place on course.
Booking through Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/always-children-first-for-early-years-service-tickets-825043516367?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-source=cp&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing
Full details of training can be found here: http://westmeathchildcare.ie/always-children-first-for-early-years-services-sheraton-hotel-athlone/
Early Years Sectoral e-Bulletin February 2024
The February 2024 edition of the Early Years e-Bulletin for early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) providers can be accessed at:
February 2024 Early Years Sectoral E-Bulletin
Covid case advice
Please find below links to information from the HPSC in relation to Covid-19 and information from the HSE for ELC and SAC providers on preventing the spread of Covid-19 and children returning to ELC and SAC settings. We would be grateful if you share this information with parents, guardians, and staff. Preventing the spread of covid 19 in school or childcare – HSE In addition, please find link to the Management of Infectious Disease in Childcare Facilities and Other Childcare Settings (2012) For general Covid-19 queries you can contact HSE on 1800 700 700 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday or visit the HSE website HSE Covid 19
