This Weeks News & Information Bulletin
Click HERE for this week in Childcare Bulletin
Deadlines/Important Dates:
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16 June
Link Applications 2026/2027 closes
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26 June
Process for Continuing Students for NSLF closes
Programme Readiness for Core Funding 2026/2027
Applications for the Core Funding 2026/2027 are now open. Partner Services contracted for Core Funding 2025/2026 that have completed the May Review and Confirm process and have an approved status can auto-populate their application using the information from the most recently approved 2025/26 Core Funding application. All retrospective Update Due Dates(s) for the 2025/2026 Core Funding programme year must be actioned before beginning the new application.
Following submission providers will have 21-days to accept the Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement 2026/2027. Additional resources are available under the Help and Support section on the EY Hive. You can access the Core Funding Year 5 (2026/2027) Funding Agreement here. The Overview of the changes to Core Funding Year 5 can be found here.
QIPP Report Template 2025/2026.
The Core Funding QIPP Report Template 2025/26 is now open on the CFCRRS Portal. The deadline for completion of the 2025/26 QIPP Report is Friday, 31 July 2026.
West Cork Education Support Centre Training
The West Cork Education Centre are running two in person courses that may be of interest to those working in Early Learning and Care settings; Outdoor Learning Using a Forest School Approach and Active Approaches to Teaching and Learning of Literacy. These face-to-face courses will run in early July across five practical and engaging days exploring child-led, experiential and inclusive methodologies that support wellbeing, creativity and cross-curricular learning. Further details and registration information can be found below:
• Outdoor Learning Using a Forest School Approach: here
• Active Approaches to Teaching and Learning of Literacy: here
Programme Readiness for ECCE, NCS, and CCSP Saver Programme 2026/2027 is now available
Programme Readiness for ECCE, NCS and the CCSP Saver Programme 2026/2027 is now available for services to complete on the Early Years Hive.
AIM level 5 Transfer of Ownership
The Transfer of Ownership process for the 2025 programme call remains open. All services with AIM Level 5 equipment supporting children who are expected to complete their ECCE eligibility at the end of the 2025/2026 programme year are strongly encouraged to complete the transfer of ownership process as soon as possible. Equipment provided under AIM Level 5 must not be removed from the pre-school setting until the transfer of ownership process has been fully completed. Further information can be found here.
Pre-Registration Training for Childminders
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 Wednesday 1, 8 & 15 July 2026 from 2pm – 4pm
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.
Nurturing Skills Learner Fund - Continuing Students 2026/27
The process for Nurturing Skills Learner Fund (NSLF) Continuous Students to confirm their eligibility for the coming academic year 2026/2027 is now open and will close on 26 June 2026 at 5pm. Continuing students are existing students who successfully received NSLF funding for academic year 2024/2025 and/or 2025/2026 and are eligible to continue to receive funding for academic year 2026/2027. It is the responsibility of the student to confirm their eligibility and failure to do so will result in NSLF funding being withdrawn. Once eligibility is confirmed, a new letter of Conditional Funding will be issued for the academic year 2026/2027. Resources from the recent training sessions held in May 2026 can be found in the resources section of the NSLF Student Portal and here.
AIM level 7
As part of the AIM Level 7 redesign, the level of support allocated to a child is now determined following the submission of their AIM Level 4 application and the subsequent review of the child’s needs by Better Start. AIM Level 4 application should be submitted as early as possible for any child intending to access AIM Level 7 supports for the 2026/2027 programme call. Preliminary decisions on the level of support determined at the AIM Level 4 application stage will be issued from early July.
Where a child has an existing AIM Level 7 application under the 2025/2026 programme call and remains eligible for an additional year of support, no action is required at this time. Service providers are asked not to withdraw these applications in advance of the 2026/2027 programme call and can expect preliminary decisions to be issued from early July.
It is advised that AIM Level 7 Non-term applications for the current programme call are submitted as soon as possible.
State-led Early Learning and Childcare- Expression of Interest
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality is seeking a not-for-profit operator for the first project under the new programme of capital investment in State-led early learning and childcare. Applicants must be existing not-for-profit early learning and childcare services, registered with Tusla and the Charities Regulator, and participating in Core Funding.
Key dates for this process are as follows:
22 May 2026
Indicate interest in and availability for attending the site visit
27 May 2026
Submit any queries on the process
29 May 2026
Site visit
4 June 2026
Replies to queries will be issued
15 June 2026 (noon)
Deadline for applications
The application form and marking scheme can be accessed here, and the Application Selection Process here. The plans and other details can be found at the following links:
Creche sections and elevations
Queries relating to this process should be directed to elcbuildings@dcde.gov.ie
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.
