Community Childcare Providers
Community Childcare Providers offer community-based, not-for-profit childcare services. All types of childcare are offered by community groups throughout Dublin city. They often support parents to work, learn and access services, and provide the local community with employment and training opportunities.
Community Childcare Services are also offered in National Schools across the city. Pre Schools that are run in National Schools usually operate as feeder classes into the school’s Junior Infants class. These pre schools operate sessional services in tandem with the primary school year, and close for the same holidays over Christmas, Easter, and Summer etc.
A Community Childcare Service is run by a voluntary Board of Management. This is a group of people who work together with the common purpose of managing a project or organisation.
A Board of Management is often made up of the following:
• Parents of Children attending the Childcare service
• Community representatives
• People with relevant expertise in the childcare area
• Statutory Organisations
• National Voluntary Organisations
They deal with issues such as:
• Employment of Staff
• Policies and Procedures for the Service
• Finance - ensuring there is adequate monies to sustain the service
Full-day care
“Full day care service” means a pre-school service offering a structured day care service for pre-school children for more than 5 hours per day and which may include a sessional pre-school service for pre-school children not attending the full day care service. Services such as those currently described as day nurseries and crèches are included in this definition. Where a full day care service also caters for children who do not attend on a full day basis, the adult/child ratio and group size for sessional services should apply.
Part-time day care
“Part-time day care service” means a pre-school service offering a structured day care service for pre-school children for a total of more than 3.5 hours and less than 5 hours per day and which may include a sessional pre-school service for pre-school children not attending the part-time day care service. The service must provide the same physical environment, including rest, play and sanitary facilities, as for full day care.
Services covered by the above definition may include pre-schools, playgroups, crèches, montessori pre-schools, naíonraí, notifiable childminders or similar services which generally cater for pre-school children in the 0-6 year age bracket.
Sessional Services
“Sessional pre-school service” means a pre-school service offering a planned programme to pre-school children for a total of not more than 3.5 hours per session.
Services covered by the above definition may include pre-schools, playgroups, crèches, montessori pre-schools, naíonraí, notifiable childminders or similar services which generally cater for pre-school children in the 0-6 year age bracket.
School Age Childcare Services
School Age childcare services provide care on a sessional or part-time basis for school aged children outside the normal school hours.