Thinking of setting up a childcare/school aged service?

Some

Practical suggestions and Advice

What regulations govern the childcare sector?

The Childcare (PreSchool) Services Regulations 2006

The pre school care and education sector is governed by the Childcare (PreSchool Services) (No. 2) Regulations 2006. The 2006 regulations came in to operation on the 3rd September 2007.

The Childcare (Pre School Services) Regulations 2006 revoke the Childcare (Preschool Services) Regulations 1996 and the Childcare (Pre School Services) (Amendment) Regulations 1997.

Childcare services must notify the Pre Schools Services officer for the Health Services Executive (HSE) 28 days before the commencement of their service. The service will be inspected by the Pre Schools services Officer regularly thereafter. Anyone thinking of opening up a childcare service should consult with the HSE regarding their proposed service.

To download a copy of the Childcare (Pre School Services) Regulations 2006, please click here (

What regulations govern the school age (afterschool) sector?

At present the school aged sector is unregulated, however any person working with children in an afterschool service will need to be Garda vetted and if serving food will have to notify to the Environmental Health Department. There are guidelines of best practice, ideas around curricula and information around policies and procedures for school aged services available from the WxCCC offices. Contact 053-9237156.

Who is setting up the service?

  • Are you setting up in a private capacity (for profit)?
  • Are you setting up as a community group (voluntary committee not for profit)?

What qualifications do I (the staff) need?

It is generally accepted that the minimum qualification for childcare personnel is a FETAC Level 5 Major award in Childcare.

Also consider the following

  • Do you feel you are an experienced childcare provider/school aged childcare provider?
  • What qualifications do you hold?
  • Are there any areas where you feel you have no experience e.g. management, business, working with babies, working with school aged children/young people etc?
  • Would you be willing to up skill yourself in these areas?

Is the proposed service needed?

Assessing the need for your proposed service – Some general advice

Undertaking some research into the need for your proposed service is a very useful exercise as it will not only give you an idea of whether or not your service will be used; it will also help you to assess the viability and sustainability of the proposed service.

Researching the local need for the proposed service might include the following:

  • Distributing questionnaires to parents around the local area of the proposed service, questions might include: What type of childcare do you need (e.g. crèche, school aged childcare, playschool/Montessori etc) and on what basis (e.g. mornings only, all day, 3 days per weeks, 2 days per week etc)
  • Developing a profile of existing childcare provision in the local area e.g. where are the nearest childcare services to your proposed service, how far away are they, what kind of service do they offer, is there duplication?
  • Examining the current Census data for the local area. The information available includes the actual population of the area and how it has developed over a 4 year period. Also available are statistics regarding the population of the area by age group age etc. Some of this information is available at
  • Building a profile of the local area of your proposed service, for example:

Describe what is in the locality e.g. schools (what type and how far away are they?), large businesses, industrial estates, farms, large housing developments, shops, government agencies, colleges, universities, adult training centres, beaches, woodland areas historical buildings etc.

Consider how the above might impact on your proposed service?

  • Describing the residential and commercial development which may have taken place over recent years in the locality of the proposed service. How will this impact on your proposed service?
  • Assessing how easily accessible the proposed service might be e.g. nearest bus stops, main roads, parking availability etc. If you are proposing to offer school aged childcarehow will the children get from school to the service? Will you provide transport? Is school so close that staff members can walk to collect the children?
  • Predicting who will use the service (target market), e.g. nearby parents in the local housing estates, teachers from the nearby secondary school, employees of the nearby industrial estate, parents attending training nearby etc.

Draw a conclusion

Based on the information you have collated around the issue of local need, consider the following:

  • Why is your service needed?
  • Who will use it?
  • What will it offer that is unique?
  • What are your aims and objectives for this service (what is your ultimate goal?)
  • How will it compliment the existing services in the local area?
  • How will your service benefit children and families within the local area?
  • How will developing the service benefit you/ the local area?

I/We have conducted a needs analysis;I/We feel there is a need for a service in the area - what’s next?

Decide what type of service is needed

Sessional Not more than 3.5 hrs per session

Part-time careMore than 3.5hrs but less than 5 hrs per day which may include a sessional pre-school service for pre-school children not attending the part-time day care service.

Full-time careMore than 5 hrs per day which may include a sessional pre-school service for pre-school children not attending the full day care.

Decide on the type of Childcare service will be provided?

Crèche

Day Nursery

Drop-in

Playgroups

Pre-schools

Naíonra

Notifiable Childminders

Steiner services

Montessori Services

School Aged Childcare Service

Decide on how many staff members will be needed

Adult/Child Ratios

The following adult/child ratios are recommended, this means the number of staff necessary per number of children attending the service. The ratios below are based on the children’s ages and length of time per day the children attend the service:

(i)Full Day Care Service

AGERANGE / ADULT /CHILD RATIO
0-1 year / 1:3
1-2 years / 1:5
2-3 years / 1:6
3-6 years / 1:8

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, as appropriate.

(ii)Part-time Day Care Service

AGERANGE / ADULT /CHILD RATIO
0-1 year / 1:3
1-2 years / 1:5
2-3 years / 1:6
3-6 years / 1:8

(iii)Sessional Pre-school Service

AGERANGE / ADULT /CHILD RATIO
0-1 year / 1:3
1- 2.5 years / 1:5
2.5 years - 6 years / 1:10

The maximum number of children to be catered for in one room in a sessional group is 20, subject to area/space required.

(iv)Pre-school service in a drop-in centre or in a temporary drop-in centre

AGERANGE / ADULT/CHILD RATIO / MAXIMUM GROUP SIZE
Full age integration 0-6 years / 1:4 / 24
1-4 children (no more than 2 children < 15 mths) – 1 adult
Maximum group size – 24

To Download a copy of the Childcare (Pre School Services) Regulations 2006, go to

Looking for a premises

Places that may be suitable:

  • Community Centre
  • Purpose built childcare service
  • Shop unit
  • House
  • Porto Cabin

I/We have seen a premises, is it suitable?

Once a premises has been located it is advisable that you contact Maura Murphy Pre School Services Officer for the HSE (053-9123522 Ext 333). The pre school services officer in conjunction with an Environmental health officer will assess the suitability of the premises. Their report on this premises will determine whether it is suitable with minor alterations, or whether it is unsuitable. In some cases the adaptations necessary will incur such large costs to make it suitable that it would not be worth pursuing the premises.

Thepremises is suitable, what else should I/We consider?

  • If the premises is suitable with some minor alterations one of the first steps will be to obtain quotations for the work in order to ascertain a total construction cost.
  • The next step will be to obtain quotes for fixtures and fittings, furniture and equipment
  • How will the costs of the alterations fixtures and fittings, furniture and equipment be covered e.g. loan, savings, etc.
  • Spend time completing a detailed income and expenditure projection for the first 2-3 years of operation (See setting fees document for more info)
  • Having completed the 2-3 year projections will this service be viable?

Funding schemes that may support the service

  • Free pre school year in ECCE (private and community services can apply to offer this scheme)
  • Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCS Scheme) (applicable to community not for profit services only).
  • Childcare Employment and Training Support Scheme (CETS Scheme). Parents attending certain FAS and VEC training programmes may be eligible for heavily subsidised childcare in a private or community service.

Contact WxCCC for more information.

What should the service look like?

Designing your service

Click on the link below to download a copy of “We like this Place” Guidelines for Best Practice in the Design of Childcare Facilities, published in 2005 by ADM. The Guidelines illustrate examples of best practice in the design of childcare facilities in Ireland, based on the understanding that the design of both the indoor and outdoor environments of childcare facilities impact on the quality of service offered to children and their parents in a variety of ways. This publication might be a useful starting point in the formulation of ideas around the design of a Childcare service. It also might be a useful publication to give your architect.

All staff must be Garda Vetted before opening and the service must be covered by appropriate insurance. Also don’t forget about factors such as First Aid, Child protection training and the development of appropriate polices and procedures.

For more information, advice and support regarding setting up a childcare service/school aged service please contact WxCCC.

WexfordCounty Childcare Committee wish to make it clear that the information provided above is only a suggested guide to aid towards the development and establishment of a childcare service. The information is not an absolute recommendation nor is it an exhaustive list of requirements.

Wexford CountyChildcare Committee

7 Castle Hill
Enniscorthy
Co. Wexford
Ireland

Tel:053 9237156 / 053 9239763
Fax:053 9239540
Email: