This Week in Childcare

These are the deadlines, information and announcements for the week of 10rd – 14th June 2024

DEADLINES / IMPORTANT DATES:

26th June 2024:

Deadline for submission of Core Funding Financial Report (Income & Expenditure Template)

28th July 2024

Deadline for submission of your Core Funding QAP Report 2023/2024

For Your Information:

New pay agreement to provide pay increases for the early learning and childcare workforce

This week, Emer Higgins, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail accepted proposals for new Employment Regulation Orders for the Early Years Services Sector. The Orders will commence on 24 June 2024 and will increase the minimum hourly rates of pay for various roles in the Early Years Services Sector.  Further information can be access here.

Public Consultation on a National Plan for Irish Language Provision in ELC & SAC

On the 6th June, Minister Roderic O’Gorman launched the public consultation on a National Plan for Irish Language Provision in Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare.  The consultation details are available here.

Child care (Amendment) Bill 2024

The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, has today secured Government approval for the publication of the Child Care (Amendment) Bill, preparing for further reforms within the early learning and childcare.

The press release can be found at

gov – Government approves publication of the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2024 (www.gov.ie)

Equal Start

Equal Start is a funding model and a set of associated universal and targeted measures to support access and participation in early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) for children and their families who experience disadvantage.

It is the fourth element of Together for Better, the funding model for ELC and SAC, which currently comprises the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and Core Funding.    Further information on Equal Start can be accessed atgov – Equal Start (www.gov.ie)

Temporary arrangements for students to work in settings during the summer period.

In light of the current staffing pressures in early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services, as a temporary measure specifically to help services with short-term staffing shortages over the summer period, the DCEDIY has arranged an accelerated process for assessment of equivalence with the level 5 minimum qualification requirement for students currently enrolled on a recognized level 6, 7 or 8 course.  For further details on this please see relevant documentation attached.

Update regarding Programme Readiness 2024/2025

We wish to provide an update regarding Programme Readiness 2024/2025. 

Programme Readiness for ECCE, AIM Level 1, NCS and the CCSP Saver Programme 2024/2025 will be available on the Early Years Hive in the coming weeks, along with Core Funding Applications and Partner Service Funding Agreements.

We understand that this is later than it has been in previous years and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.  This delay is due to new system enhancements that are currently being developed.  Unfortunately, these enhancements are taking longer than anticipated but we are working extremely hard towards opening Programme Readiness for the 24/25 programme year during the week of the 24th June. 

All Programme Readiness information, guidance and training will be communicated on the Announcements Page of the Early Years Hive. Important dates will also be included on the Calendar Page on an ongoing basis. 

Should you have any queries in relation to Programme Readiness, please contact the Early Years Provider Centre (EYPC) by raising a Request on the Early Years Hive selecting the relevant programme and the request type from the available dropdowns.

We look forward to working with Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Aged Care (SAC) services over the coming weeks.

Again, we apologise for any inconvenience the delay in programme readiness causes.

Hive Announcement 14 June 2024

New Employment Regulation Orders for the Early Years Services Sector – 24 June 2024

On 3 June 2024, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) announced the accepted proposals for new Employment Regulation Orders (EROs), applicable to the Early Years Services Sector. The EROs will come into effect on 24 June 2024.

The Orders include:

  • Increases to the minimum hourly rates applicable across employment roles.
  • The removal of the requirement for graduates to have three years’ experience before they are eligible for Graduate Lead Educator or Graduate Manager rates of pay, to widen access to graduate premiums under Core Funding.  

To read the full announcement, click here.
From 24 June 2024, due to the removal of the three years’ experience requirement, Core Funding Partner Services will now have the opportunity to attract a Graduate Lead Educator/Manager premium for a staff member(s), who meets the following criteria:

Graduate Lead Educator for Early Learning & Care (ELC) sessions

  • Must be assigned to the role of Lead Educator in an ELC session(s) and be reflected as such in the Core Funding Application.
  • Must hold an eligible qualification as per the Department’s list of approved qualifications, QQI Level 7 or above.

Please note for the purposes of Core Funding, each ELC session can only have one Lead Educator at any one time, even if the children are organised into groups within the room.

Graduate Manager Premium

  • Must be a Graduate Manager working in an Early Learning and Childcare service.
  • Must hold an eligible qualification as per the Department’s list of approved qualifications, Level 7 or above.
  • Please note, an individual cannot be in receipt of both a Graduate Manager Premium and a Graduate Lead Educator Premium. School Age Childcare (SAC)-only services and childminders are not eligible for the Graduate Manager Premium.

What am I required to do in advance?

Partner Services must ensure that the information for their graduate staff members is accurate and up to date on their Service Profile.

What am I required to do when the EROs come into effect on 24 June 2024?

To avail of the increased Graduate Lead Educator/Manager premium, Partner Services with an eligible staff member must submit an Application Change no earlier than 24 June 2024, with a Change Effective date of 24 June 2024. If an application change is submitted before this date, the ERO will not be in effect, therefore will not be applied to the application.

An Application Change is required to be submitted if a Partner Service is adding a staff member to their Core Funding Application Module for the first time and/or, if a Partner Service has a staff member in their existing Core Funding Application Module who now qualifies for the Graduate Lead Educator/Manager premiums.

Any increase in the Graduate Lead Educator/Manager premium(s) will be effective from the Application Change submission date or the change effective date, whichever is the later. Therefore, to ensure a service is allocated the maximum funding available, services have until 30 June 2024 to submit an application change with a change effective date of 24 June 2024. A delay in submitting an Application Change will result in the increase occurring later than the ERO effective date and backdating will not be permitted.

It is important that on the summary page of your Core Funding application, before submitting your Application Change[PO3] [OS4] , that you review the grant values associated with the Graduate Manager or Lead Educator premiums, to ensure the values have updated. If not, you will need to move back to the previous steps to ensure you have correctly captured the staff member the change is relating to.

If your service requires support, additional resources are available under the Core Funding Documents section on the Early Years Hive. Your local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) also remain available to assist you in completing your Core Funding Application Module. 

If you require any further assistance or clarification on any of the above, please contact the Early Years Provider Centre (EYPC) by raising a Request as follows, to ensure your query is escalated to the relevant team:

  • Summary: ERO-Removal of 3 years’ experience requirement
  • Programme: Core Funding,
  • Request Type: Application
  • Request Type Detail: Application

Core Funding Reporting Requirement Year 1

The Core Funding Contractual Requirement Reporting Systems (www.cfcrrs.ie) is now accepting submissions of the Income & Expenditure Report from linked accountants. Further information is available on Hive> Resources> Programme Documents> Core Funding documents> Core Funding financial reporting requirement year 1

Core Funding Application Process Training Invite

You and your staff are invited to attend sector training on the Core Funding application process. The sessions will be held on Friday 21 June and Monday 24 June. 

As part of this training, we will be demonstrating the following:

  • The Core Funding Application Module 2024/2025 key points
  • Changes to the Core Funding Application Module 2024/2025
  • Live Demonstration of the Core Funding Application Module 2024/2025

Please see below the links to register with Go to Webinar:

Core Funding Application SP 1

Friday 21 June 10:30am – 12:00pm

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/34367874787062358

Core Funding Application SP 2

Monday 24 June 2:30pm – 4:00pm

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4775249808013032026

Core Funding Application SP 3

Monday 24 June 6:30pm – 8:00pm

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8902984683963198294

 
A recording of the training will be made available on the Early Years Hive along with the PowerPoint slides once the training has been completed.

We kindly ask that questions asked on the day are kept to the topic of the Core Funding application process.

Core Funding Quality Action Plan Report 2023/ 2024

Core Funding requires all early learning and care, school-age childcare and childminding services that benefit from Core Funding to complete a Quality Action Plan and to report on same. The reporting procedure mirrors that of the Quality Action Plan itself, i.e. services are required to complete an online survey that generates a PDF document. Please click on the link below to access the online survey and generate your Core Funding Quality Action Plan Report. The closing date for receipt of submissions is the 28th of July 2024.Having submitted your response please remember to PRINT and SAVE your Quality Action Plan Report as a PDF before closing out of the survey. You then need to upload your Core Funding Quality Action Plan Report (PDF document) to the ‘My Service Profile’ on the HIVE system for validation.

Complete QAP form – https://forms.office.com/r/AiJG5mK1Kr

Extension of AIM to support additional hours for ECCE aged children

On 6th June Minister Roderic O’Gorman announced plans for an additional €14 million in supports for children with a disability under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM).  For further information please click here and see attached FAQ.

Tusla Corrective & Preventive Action Form

The Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) form has been amended and will be implemented for inspections which are carried out on or after Tuesday 4th June. There are no changes to the CAPA process, requirements, or timeframes.  A new CAPA guidance document accompanies the form and the CAPA form and guidance document can be found on the Early Years Inspectorate  website.

EPSEN accessible survey

The EPSEN accessible survey is aimed at children and young adults with special educational needs, who may face challenges with traditional survey methods. The survey includes accessible features, including easy read, voice over and ISL.  This important accessible online consultation will enable those with cognitive challenges to share their valuable opinions and perspectives.  For further details please visit the following link: EPSEN Review Consultation.

Click here to access the survey.

A beautiful, new, free illustrated story book ‘Safe Harbour’ that will support children who have been bereaved by suicide, has been launched this morning.
Written by Patricia Forde and illustrated by visual artist Bronagh Lee, this new HSE resource will empower parents or carers to have difficult conversations safely with their child around this sensitive topic.
The content in SafeHarbour has been developed by bereavement experts, professionals and people with lived experience.
It is accompanied by ‘Safe Harbour: A Helpful Guide for Parents and Carers’, which outlines how parents or carers can practically use the book. The guide is also helpful for any professionals who would like to integrate Safe Harbour into their work to support a child who has been bereaved by suicide.
Safe Harbour is dedicated to bereaved children and families in Ireland.
Visit here for
– More information on Safe Harbour
– Downloads of Safe Harbour and Safe Harbour: A Helpful Guide for Parents and Carers
– Accompanying audio resources
-Information on bereavement supports

Upcoming Events and Information Session

Do you know a young person living with a lifelong health condition who could benefit from making social connections through creativity?

Helium Arts is a children’s charity committed to improving the well-being of children and young people in Ireland, aged 6-16, who are living with lifelong physical health conditions.

We offer free creative workshops, both in communities and online, led by professional artists. These workshops provide safe and accessible spaces where children navigating health conditions can come together.

We use creativity to inspire these children to feel more confident.  By empowering them with tools such as friendship, community and new skills, Helium Arts helps these children to become more prepared and capable of overcoming adversity.

Supported conditions include diabetes, epilepsy, cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, allergies, heart conditions, asthma, spina bifida, juvenile arthritis, rare or complex conditions and many more.

According to a recent independent evaluation of our community programme,


“100% of parents reported that their child experienced an improved quality of life after participating in Helium Arts workshops.”

This is a testament to the positive impact of our work on the lives of these young individuals and their families.

Registrations are now OPEN for our FREE Summer Camps in Dublin and online.

We would appreciate it if you could help spread the word among your networks.

To sign up, simply click on the links below:

Ages 6-8
1) Online Summer Saturdays
4-Week On & Offline Creative Programme: 6-27 Jul

Ages 8-12

1) Dublin In-Person Summer Camp
16-18 Jul

2) Online Summer Saturdays
4-Week On & Offline Creative Programme: 6-27 Jul

Ages 13-16

1) Online Youth Summer Camp

16, 18 & 20 Jul


All of our workshops are facilitated by professional artists, with the support of our friendly volunteers and on-site medical support (if needed).

If you’re not sure what to expect at a Helium Arts workshop…

Bring your family and friends and come along to our open studio taster workshop on Cruinniú na nÓg, Saturday, June 15th, from 9 AM to 4 PM. 

Everyone is welcome at this free, drop-in event—no booking necessary!

Covid case advice

Please see below links to relevant information:

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