This Weeks News & Information Bulletin
Click HERE for this week in Childcare Bulletin
Deadlines/Important Dates:
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31 August:
Closing date for Core Funding August Review and Confirm Window
Fee Increase Assessment/Sustainability Review 2026
The Department has announced a new Fee Increase Assessment (FIA) process, known as the Sustainability Review 2026/2027. Eligible Partner Services will be contacted by their local CCC.
Eligible Partner Services charging very low fees may apply for approval to increase up to an approved level, once they have been contacted by their CCC. Further information will be available shortly.
New NCS programme year
The new National Childcare Scheme (NCS) programme year opens on 17 August 2026.
The NCS 2026/2027 funding agreement needs to be activated before the current year’s agreement ends on 16 August 2026. This is to ensure continued participation in the scheme. The funding agreement is available on the All Programme Applications page, and a guide on activating an NCS is available here. Please note that failure to submit this funding agreement may result in a loss of funding. As noted in the NCS Policy Guidelines, funding cannot be backdated, so please submit this application as soon as possible.
Training Courses: Cork County Childcare Committee Training
Always Children First: Child Safeguarding Awareness Training for Organisations (Foundation)
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Vienna Woods Hotel, Glanmire -Saturday 5th September @ 9.30am - 4.30pm
For further information and to book a place please contact the office on 022-23880 or email cptraining@corkchildcare.ie
Transitions from preschool to primary school information sessions
The National Parent Council are offering free online information sessions on Monday 24 August at 10am & 7:30pm to book click here.
Online Focus Group on review of the initial implementation of childminding regulations
Are you a childminder or parent? Our online childminding focus groups will provide an opportunity for childminders and parents to share their views and experiences.
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) is inviting childminders and parents to share their experiences and perspectives on the implementation of the new childminding regulations. Feedback gathered through these focus groups will help inform the ongoing review of the regulations and shape future developments in the childminding sector. This is an opportunity to discuss how the regulations are working in practice, the supports available to childminders, any challenges or barriers to registration and compliance, and suggestions for how the system could be improved to better meet the needs of childminders, children and families.
To have your say and join a focus group, book your place now
Core Funding August Review and Confirm Window
The August Review and Confirm window is open from 1 August to 31 August 2026. Please see the Review and Confirm how to video for more information.
Preliminary Payments for ECCE
Preliminary Payment ECCE: 21, 28 August & 4 September 2026. If you activate your funding agreement after these dates, you can still receive a preliminary payment. It will be included in a later payment run.
AIM Level 7 confirmation form
Service providers who have submitted an AIM Level 4 application and indicated that they wish to avail of AIM Level 7 support for the 2026/2027 programme call, and who have received their notification for the preliminary support award, must submit this confirmation form to avail of the support. Where there are active ECCE and NCS registrations for a child, support for all registered hours will be awarded automatically following the submission of the AIM Level 7 confirmation form. Therefore, if a service provider does not require all supports awarded to a child (i.e. NCS hours), a request must be submitted on the Early Years Hive advising of this. More information is available in the announcement dated 13 August.
Aistear in Practice
Aistear in Practice is a series of online mentoring sessions developed by Better Start to support reflection on practice linked to Aistear, with a focus on quality inclusive experiences for all children. The series will take place throughout August and September and will include three sessions covering The Key Person Approach, Babies, Toddlers and Young Children’s Schemas and Emergent & Inquiry-Based Curriculum. Further information and link to register can be found here.
Childminding Pre-Registration Training
This training will support understanding of the new childminding regulations and will provide information on what is required to register with Tusla. This is a FREE training course and takes approximately 7 hours to complete. For more information contact nessa@corkcitychildcare.ie
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Dates: Tues 1st, 8th, 15th Sept 7pm-9pm
Booking link: Childminding Pre-Registration Training Cork City Childcare Committee (Q1) – Fill out form
Children First Training for Members of Boards, Committees, Employers and Owners
Tusla have developed a 60 minute eLearning module to provide information and understanding of their role, essential governance and oversight. The module can be accessed here. It is also recommended that that these personnel complete the Tusla Childrens First eLearning programme.
Application changes for year 4 Core Funding 25-26
A gentle reminder to all Partner Services that Core Funding Programme Year 4 (2025/2026) closes on the 31 August 2026. Partner Services will have until 4pm 30 September 2026 to submit Application Changes as required to ensure their application information is correct. Please see these helpful Videos on the Hive for further information on how to apply application changes and update due dates.
CCSP saver Programme 2026
The Community Childcare Subvention Plus (CCSP) Saver Programme is now open for the 2026/2027 programme year. Guidance and documentation are available on the Early Years Portal.
An introduction to Aistear Síolta and the Practice Guide
An updated ‘Introduction to Aistear, Síolta and the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide’ professional development module is now available online. This module has been updated to reflect changes to Aistear in 2024. The e-learning module is self-paced, and educators can sign up via the Nurturing Skills website. Further information available here.
Early Years Documentary
A new documentary celebrating the impact of pre-school education in Ireland will be shown on Virgin Media at 12 pm on Saturday 29th August. The documentary is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the important work that takes place every day and the difference it makes in the lives of children and families.
Barnardo’s Training
Barnardo’s have launched a range of free early years practice development webinars. Click here for further information.
Let’s talk childminding, make your voice heard!
Childminders play an important role in the lives of children and families across Ireland. New regulations introduced in 2024 are designed to reflect the home setting in which childminders work, while supporting quality and safeguarding children. The regulations are now being reviewed to get an understanding of how they are working in practice. Your voice matters.
Find out more about the review here https://www.letstalkchildminding.ie/ and share your views by taking part in our survey here Have your say
Creative Spaces for Children
The children loved making the leaves and flower as we see them every day on our facility grounds and it depicts the children growing as do leaves and flowers
Their favourite place in our setting is the outdoor area
We love artwork and storytime..we also love the dinners cooked onsite
We do not like coming in sometimes in the early morning but we do not like going home in the evenings as we like to stay and play with our peers and the many resources in the room!
Our friends and Sharon Orla and Shell make this place fun for us everyday..also our pawpatrol figurines. We enjoy playing with sand, painting, playdough, Numberblocks and lego!
Our friends and our teacher are with us when we learn
We think if we had Roblox Minecraft and Peter Rabbit toys it would be magical!!!
The story of our group artwork is the flowers and leaves are growing when we water and take care of them just like we grow when we eat up all our dinners and we get hugs and love!!❤️
The pretty colours on the flower..they are the same colours as vanilla and strawberry ice-cream! We would you to write that we are the best boys and girls for making this artwork together and that we are good at teamwork like our storybook says!
The Bumblebee Room - Le Cheile FRC, Mallow aged from 3-4 years
This is me and my teachers. I like playing with the tuff tray and the kitchen.
Ciara – Age 5
Cottage Childcare, Killavullen
That’s the playhouse outside and that’s the sand tray. That’s my two teachers and my friend, Harry.
I made two soccer balls and I drawed the playdough. I like the zoo and the playdough.
My favourite is the new fruit chart and the sign-in board that we do.
That’s the tuff tray. I drawed the sand and playdough.
Joshua – Age 5
Cottage Childcare, Killavullen
This is the school and me and my teachers. That’s me playing playdough and that’s the balls. I like the tuff tray and I like playing with the chalk.
Méabh – Age 4
Cottage Childcare, Killavullen
I like my teachers putting out the toys. My favourite is the marble race.
I made a chocolate bar.
That’s outside and that right there is the gate. If you want to play soccer, you can play soccer!
That’s the door outside. I like water at the table. I like planting peas and guess what?... they’re almost getting bigger and bigger. Peas will start to grow and they will pop on!
Freddie – Age 4
Cottage Childcare, Killavullen
This is the school. That’s the zoo and that’s a Lego person at the zoo. I love playing with the zoo.
That’s my teachers.
I love pretend the motorbike is a real motorbike.
Before you letted us bring our journals home and we got to show our mums and dads what we made and we got to remember the stuff we putted in our journals.
If we had no teachers we’d get to do whatever we want and mess the school, but we’d tidy it up again!
Harry – Age 4
Cottage Childcare, Killavullen
I wanted to do the school, outside.
This is my teachers - I like the way you have skirts on.
That’s a triangle magnet and that’s a square magnet because that’s my favourite thing to play with.
I don’t play with the playdough that much coz it’s kinda hard to make stuff out of it. There’s loads of toys here that I can play with.
I like being able to put the things out and playing with the zoo together and I liked that you listened to our ideas.
Méabh – Age 5
Cottage Childcare, Killavullen
This is my preschool. It has a chimney. This is my teachers. My teachers always be nice. My favourite activity is the blocks.
Mia – Age 4
Cottage Childcare, Killavullen
The children in Bluebells room, Grà Childcare, Carrignavar expressed their creativity through art, sharing what Grá means to them—the special place where they spend at least three hours each day. Through their drawings and colours, they showed their feelings in the most heartfelt way. As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Amaia - Age 4
Grá Childcare
Sadie - Age 4
Grá Childcare
Daisy - Age 4
Grá Childcare
Rebekah - Age 4
Grá Childcare
Julian - Age 5
Grá Childcare
The Afterschool Club boys and girls (5ys -12yrs) of
School Around the Corner, Glanworth
Creative Artwork on "Where I learn and Play "
The artwork from some of the children at Blue Nest in Midleton. They were all so happy to take part in this initiative, which is lovely.
Art activity for National Conversation on Education Childrens Creative Spaces from Ray of Sunshine Canovee
Cork County Childcare Committee was formed in 2001 and is funded by the Department of Children, Disability, and Youth (DCEDIY) to improve the quality of childcare in Cork County.
In addition to supporting the administration of all Government funding programmes for childcare; City and County Childcare Committees work with early childhood services and childminders looking for support with quality development, HR, governance, financial sustainability and continuing professional development.
We also work with Parents to locate childcare best suited to their families needs, and advise on relevant government funded schemes etc.
