This Weeks News & Information Bulletin
Click HERE for this week in Childcare Bulletin
Deadlines/Important Dates:
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10 August:
CCSP Saver Programme 26-27 commences
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14 August:
Closing date for AIM non-term application for 2025/26
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31 August:
Closing date for Core Funding August Review and Confirm Window
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. Helpful Videos
CCSP saver programme 2026/2027
Registrations for the CCSP Saver Programme 2026/2027 are now open.
The CCSP Saver Programme 2026/2027 will commence on Monday 10 August 2026.
You can find guidance on how to register a child on CCSP on the CCSP child registration page under Resources on the Early Years Hive.
Increase of NCS Thresholds and Multi Child Discount
NCS income assessed applicants received notification this week that their award has now been recalculated using the new Multi Child Discount (MCD) rates and NCS Thresholds. The increase means that families who did not previously qualify for an income assessed award may be eligible going forward. All income assessed claims have now been automatically updated with the new rate. There will be no need for parents to confirm these claims again, however, if parents have not yet confirmed their claims, they will still be required to do so. In addition, service providers can identify all affected claims in a specially dedicated page on the Early Years Hive.
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
Fee Increase Assessment/Sustainability Review 2026
The Department has announced a new Fee Increase Assessment (FIA) process, known as the Sustainability Review 2026/2027. Partner Services charging very low fees may apply for approval to increase up to an approved level. Applications will open during Autumn 2026 for a limited cohort of eligible services. The process has been designed to balance the need to protect affordability for parents with the need to support the financial sustainability of services charging the lowest fees in the sector.
Eligible Partner Services will be contacted by their local CCC. Click Here for full press release.
Preliminary Payments for ECCE and CCSP Saver Programme
To support your planning for the 2026/2027 programme year, please review the information below on preliminary payments, payment schedules and key dates for the CCSP Saver Programme and ECCE. Preliminary Payment CCSP: 7& 14 August 2026
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. Please ensure that your service calendar is up to date and correct in advance of the programme call start dates. Service calendars cannot be retrospectively amended on the Early Years Hive. Services will not receive more than one preliminary payment. Payments will be made to the existing bank account associated with the service/programme on the Early Years Hive.
My Little Library 2026
Minister Foley has announced the launch of My Little Library 2026. The book bags are for children finishing pre-school and starting primary school in September and will be delivered to libraries.
The DCDE would appreciate if the invitations could be shared with parents. The links to are here in English and Irish, and QR codes.
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.
AIM Non-term Application for 2025/26
Services who have submitted an AIM L7 Standard Application for 25/26 and want to avail of non-term support for the summer period, are asked to submit any AIM non-term applications before Friday 14 August. Further information is available in the Announcement section of HIVE.
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.
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
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The Maritime Hotel, Bantry - Saturday 12th September @9:30am – 4:30pm
Designated Liaison Person Training
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Talbot Hotel, Midleton – Thursday 24th September @10am – 1:30pm
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Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel – Tuesday 6th October @10am – 1:30pm
This training is open to DLP/Deputy DLP in an ELC or SAC service
For further information and to book a place please contact the office on 022-23880 or email cptraining@corkchildcare.ie
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.
