WELCOME TO
CORK COUNTY CHILDCARE COMMITTEE

• 1st February

Core Funding Review & Confirm opens

• 6th February

EOI CLIL/FCÁT 

• 20th February

Completed Parent & Toddler Group applications

•  27th February

Portal opens for submission of year 3 Core Funding Trial Balance

Any service provider in receipt of a Core Funding grant during the 2024/25 Programme Year is required to engage an accountant to submit a full Trial Balance for Year 3 of Core Funding. This is in line with the Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement 2024/25. These financial reports provide a tangible foundation for the analysis of the cost drivers within the sector, providing evidence-based financial data to support the development of future policy. The portal will open from Friday 27th February www.cfcrrs.ie An  FAQ is available here  

Core Funding allocations can be sourced on hive by following the steps in the below link; https://earlyyearshive.ncs.gov.ie/How-to-extract-your-allocation-information-for-Year-3-Financial-Returns-Technical-Guide.pdf

DCDE has announced the launch of the 2026 Parent and Toddler (P&T) Grant. This year the focus for the 2026 Parent and Toddler grants is to support groups in providing assistance to young parents and children in establishing connections and to promote the inclusion of families from all backgrounds, abilities and cultures.

The closing date for receipt of complete applications from Parent & Toddler groups is Friday 20th February 2026. For a Grant Application Form please contact us at 022-23880 or codriscoll@corkchildcare.ie.

The Financial Management Tool Year 4 (2025/2026) is now available on the Hive under Resources - Core Funding Documents and can be found here.

Cork County Childcare Committee Training

Always Children First: Child Safeguarding Awareness Training for Organisations (Foundation Level)

Charleville Park Hotel, Charleville 09:30-16:30, Saturday 14 February

Vienna Woods Hotel, Glanmire, 09:00 – 16:00, Saturday 28 February

Maritime Hotel, Bantry, 14:00 - 17:00, Wednesday 04 & 11 March

Carrigaline Court Hotel, Carrigaline, 09:00 – 16:00, Saturday 07 March

Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel, Blarney 09:30 – 16:30, Saturday 21 March

Clonakilty Park Hotel, Clonakilty, 09:30 – 16:30, Saturday 18 April

Each participant must complete both the universal 'Children First E-learning Programme' and the 'Mandated Persons' E-learning Programme (available on the Tusla website and links below) prior to attending the course.

Universal E-Learning: Children First E-Learning ProgrammeTusla - Child and Family Agency

Mandated Persons E-Learning: Children First: Mandated Person Role and Responsibilities | Rise 360

Auto-enrolment for the My Future Funds pension scheme commenced on 1 January 2026. A recording of the EY My Future Funds webinar for the ELC and SAC sector is available here.

Tusla have updated Policy Guidance Documents for the Early Years Sector on their website. The documents can be access from Early Years Provider Resources  page or directly on the new Policy Guidance Documents for the Early Years Sector page.  There is an updated and revised A Practical Guide to Developing Policies, Procedures and Statements in Early Years Services

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The February Review and Confirm window will open from 1st February to 14th February 2026. 

There are two options available for Review and Confirm:

1. Review and Confirm with Changes

2. Review and Confirm without Changes

Before completing the Review and Confirm please ensure the following:

• all data captured in your Service Profile is accurate and up to date for the 2025/2026 programme year.

• Make sure your Core Funding Application is at status ‘Approved’.  If your application is at ‘Referred back’, you must address the reason for ‘refer back’ prior to completing the February Review and Confirm process. 

If you have an Update Due Date populated on your most recently ‘Approved' Core Funding application record, on or before the 14 February, prior to the date you complete the Review and Confirm process, you must action this as part of your Review and Confirm.

To do this, choose ‘Review and Confirm with Changes’ and either: replace the staff member who has left, or reduce your service’s capacity.

Two new action plans for the early learning and care and school-age childcare sector have been published by Minister Foley. The ‘Shaping the Future: Early Years Action Plan’ commits to actions in 2026 to make services more affordable, accessible and improve quality.
The ‘Simplify and Support: Action Plan for Simplification’ will streamline administration and regulation, helping providers, educators, practitioners and parents navigate the system more easily.

The Core Funding Quality and Inclusive Practice Plan (QIPP) Report Template 2025/26 is now open on the Core Funding Contractual Requirements Reporting System Portal https://www.cfcrrs.ie/. Progress can be documented and saved on an ongoing basis.

The PAU (Primary Authorised User) or QAU (Quality Authorised User) can begin to document and save any progress that has been made toward achieving the actions as outlined in their QIP Plan. To do so log into the CFCRRS portal, open the QIP Plan submitted at the start of the programme year, begin to answer the reporting questions and save the document as you go.

The deadline for completion of the 2025/26 QIPP Report is Friday 31st July 2026.

Two new action plans for the early learning and care and school-age childcare sector have been published by Minister Foley. The ‘Shaping the Future: Early Years Action Plan’ commits to actions in 2026 to make services more affordable, accessible and improve quality.
The ‘Simplify and Support: Action Plan for Simplification’ will streamline administration and regulation, helping providers, educators, practitioners and parents navigate the system more easily.

Dunmanway County Childcare Committee Office, Dunmanway, (P47 E271), 09:30 – 13:00, Saturday 14 March

Springfort Hall Hotel, Mallow, (P51 YP96), 09:30 – 13:00, Saturday 25 April

Participants must have attended Always Children First: Foundation Training and must complete the Always Children First DLP eLearning module, which forms Part A of this training, prior to attending the Always Children First DLP Training in-person workshop.

The training is available by following this link: https://www.tusla.ie/children-first/organisations/appointing-a-designated-liaison-person/ The DLP eLearning module should be completed within two weeks of the in-person workshop.

 For further information and to book a place please contact the office on 022-23880 or email cptraining@corkchildcare.ie

Cork County Childcare Committee is delighted to offer Pre-Registration Training to anyone who is interested in finding out more about childminding.  This is a mandatory training programme for childminders who wish to register with Tusla.  For any potential childminders, this training will support understanding of the new childminding regulations and will provide guidance on what is required to register with Tusla. This is a FREE training course and takes approximately 7 hours to complete. There is no assessment, and participants will receive a certificate upon completion.  Please see additional information on the Childminders tab above Training and Events. 

The upcoming online training dates are as follows:

Online:  Tuesday 10th, 17th & 24th February from 6.30pm – 9pm

Online:  Thursday 5th & 12th March from 9.30am – 12.30pm

Online:  Wednesday 15th, 22nd & 29th April from 10am – 12pm

Online:  Wednesday 13th May & 20th May from 6.30pm to 9.30pm

If you are interested in attending any of these Pre-Registration Training Courses, please click on the link below to book your place: 

Childminding Pre-Registration Training Cork County Childcare Committee 2026 – Fill in form

Please contact Denise at dquinlan@corkchildcare.ie / 087 1044448 with any queries.

The Dedicated Contact Points (DCP) have changed to reflect new structures and networks within Tusla. Some old DCP numbers may remain in use until all changes have been finalised.

The DCP’s for Cork are:              

Cork North-West & Cork East        021-4927000

Cork South West                               021-4923001

North Cork – Kerry                           064-6678065

Cork North – South Tipperary      052-6177302

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The full contact details for DCP’s at county level can be found here.

After the Review and Confirm window is closed, Core Funding payments will only continue to be processed according to the payment schedule on the Early Years Hive, as long as your February Review and Confirm is at an ‘Approved’ status.  

If your service requires support, additional resources are available under the Core Funding Documents and Help and Support sections on the Early Years Hive. Your local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) can also help you complete your Core Funding Application Module. 

Better Start is inviting Early Learning and Care settings to take part in introducing Irish as part of the daily routine through the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) / Foghlaim Chomhtháite Ábhar agus Teanga (FCÁT) programme. This approach supports children to encounter Irish naturally through meaningful everyday experiences — including routines, stories, play, exploration, and social interaction.

To register your interest: Click here Closing date 06 February 2026

For more information contact: professionaldevelopment@betterstart.ie

Click Here for a flyer from Barnardos on their free upcoming Early Years Practice Development webinars. If you are interested book you place here: Early Years Development Training - Barnardos

The Dedicated Contact Points (DCP) have changed to reflect new structures and networks within Tusla. Some old DCP numbers may remain in use until all changes have been finalised. The DCP’s for Cork are:  Cork North-West & Cork East      021-4927000

Cork South West                             021-4923001

North Cork – Kerry                         064-6678065

Cork North – South Tipperary     052-6177302

The full contact details for DCP’s at county level can be found here.

The most up to date versions of the Role of the Inclusion Coordinator posters can be accessed on the following links:

• English Poster – PDF                                          Irish Poster – PDF

• English Poster – JPG                                           Irish Poster – JPG

We invite you to visit our website HERE and like and follow our Facebook page Cork County Childcare Committee Ltd for updates and relevant content HERE​ Or scan QR code below

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