Childcare facilities operating ‘tight balancing act’ under new restrictions, sector says
Facilities call for greater clarity on who qualifies as ‘essential workers’
Closure of pre-school programmes extended until January 11th
Latest move comes in bid to clip spread of Covid-19, according to Department of Children
Almost a third of early years childcare workers intend to leave sector within year
Upskilling of workers has not been matched with appropriate pay, report indicates
Surge in demand for Covid-19 tests slows tracing system
Experts recommend the entire end-to-end process should take less than three days
Most childcare providers set to reopen to thousands of children from Monday
Parents are being asked to drop children off at entrances instead entering premises
Childminding: reforming a profession that doesn't register
Everyone knows change is inevitable, but how and when remain the big unknowns
Parents are losing out on subsidies as creches fail to sign up
Creches too busy to do all the paperwork required for subsidy schemes
Parents of preschool kids will have their voices heard at long last
The role of the National Parents Council is being expanded so parents will have a say in shaping policy
Budget 2018: Free pre-school plan to expand to two years
Zappone details ‘unprecedented €1.38bn’ spend allocated for Department of Children
Subsidy scheme for childcare needs up-to-date systems
Early Childhood Ireland says more childminders need to be brought into the scheme
Small children sucked into a sedentary world of buggies, screens and indoor living
Children are failing to develop basic physical skills that are the blocks on which to build a lifetime of fitness and sport, due to lack of active play
Homeless families to get 25 hours of free childcare each week
Scheme announced by Minister for Children Katherine Zappone to begin next month
Childcare providers ‘are taking out loans just to pay staff’
Oireachtas committee hears of precarious financial situations of childcare services
Childcare budget focus ‘remains on low-income families’
Katherine Zappone says benefits for ‘squeezed middle’ depend on level of investment
Warning issued over quality and availability of childcare
Second year of free pre-school ‘too difficult’ to deliver, warns Early Childhood Ireland
Preschools issue warning over free childcare scheme
Childcare centres say they are not ready for the extension of the free preschool year
What will new regulations mean for early years services?
Changes to qualifications and registration but no mandatory policy for child protection
Up to 6,000 with special needs to get supports for free preschool
Many children with disabilities unable to access early childhood care and education
Aftercare and homework clubs: a glimpse of the modern school?
Schools will be encouraged to make greater out-of-hours use of their facilities
Childcare tax credit ‘would not work’, sector warns
Industry boss expresses concern over ‘populist’ proposals in government deal
Free childcare expansion scheme at risk, warn preschools
Extended programme worth an average of €1,500 for the parents of young children
Special needs children to receive supports for free preschool year
Many children with disabilities currently unable to access early childhood care and education
Childcare package will not help parents paying for preschool
Free preschool measures not expected to be introduced until September 2016
State subsidies for childcare must deliver for children not just employers
Care must be taken in drawing lessons from Quebec study linking subsidised childcare to crime rates
‘The man in the Government is messing’: Political excuses on special needs don’t wash with children
The free preschool is for every child, so why is there a lack of support for those with special needs?
How creeping and crawling influence children’s first step in education
‘Grey-area’ children, who are not physically developed, may underperform in the classroom
Split parental leave ‘could take five years to implement’
Childcare group warns on timeline as Ibec raises concerns about costs to business sector
Childcare tax relief will not improve care quality, says lobby
Direct subsidies would improve affordability and improve services, high-level body to be told
‘We’ll fix it’ parents do their children no favours
Raising a resilient child: future happiness lies in learning to cope with adversity, says Sheila Wayman
Child poverty: ‘This is about Government priorities’
Experts warned that children were bearing the brunt of the crisis, so why did it take this week’s damning Unicef report for us to pay attention?
Reaction to Budget 2015
Organisations give their response to Government’s financial plans for next year
Afterschool: parents piece together the jigsaw of care
Parents are pretty much left to their own devices in trying to find places for their children to go after school
The chattering classes foster greater language skills
New campaign highlights how birth to three years of age is a vital time for language development
Childcare issues not just the concern of parents
The new head of Early Childhood Ireland, Teresa Heeney, on raising standards and rising costs
Taking the sting away from chickenpox this spring
Chickenpox vaccine is part of the primary immunisation programme for American children, but not here
State funding for community childcare leaves 70% ‘out in the cold’
Government funding must be ring-fenced for private childcare facilities, conference told
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