Welcome to The Village Childcare and Community Services. We look forward to getting to know you and your child, and creating an enjoyable and memorable experience for your little one.
A Typical day in the Village Chilcare
8.30am -9.00am: Children settle into their room and have free choice of play.
9.00am-9.30am: Key-group activities (arts & crafts, block play, small world play etc.)
9.30am-9.50am: Circle-time and story time.
9.50am-10.00am: Tidy-up time and hand washing before morning snack.
10.00am-10.30am: morning snack time
10.30am-11.00am: music and dance
10.00am-12.00pm: outdoor play including water play, sensory play, messy play
ECCE children not doing optional extra leave at 11.30pm
12.00pm-12.30pm:- Afternoon snack-time
12.30pm-13.00pm:- outdoor free-play
13.00pm-13.15pm:- getting ready for home-time
The First Day
Children require a varying amount of support when they start pre-school. It is normal and understandable for them to be upset by the huge transition they are about to undertake. Please be patient and understanding!
Please feel free to discuss any concerns you may have with the our management staff.
Our School Term
Our school term generally follows dates used by our local schools. There may be a few days difference between our dates and those of other local schools.
We provided a calendar to you at the start of each year which show our School term and closure dates for the year. A reminder will be sent out nearer to the time.
Bringing Your Child To Pre-School
What you need to know about starting pre-school.
Drop Off
Our start time is 8.30. We ask that you are on time for your pre-school session. Children will be greeted at the entrance by a staff-member who will walk them upstairs to their room.
Clothes
A dirty child is a happy child!
We encourage all forms of messy, artistic, water, and sensory play here at the Village Childcare.
Please understand that although we provide aprons for painting and messy crafts and wetsuits for water play on cold days, it is very probable that your child will come home looking much messier than when you dropped them off!
With this in mind, we suggest dressing your child in clothes that you won’t mind getting stained and dirty.
Children are also required to bring a full change of clothing, including shoes, socks, and underwear. This can be left in a plastic bag and stored in the child’s room. Finally, we suggest labelling every piece of child’s clothing to prevent any confusion when it comes to going home-time.
Snacks
All children are provided with a small snack at 10.00am every day. This snack can include cereal and milk, toast and butter, crackers, and cheese. Details of the snack are available on a weekly basis.
Children attending for part-time hours (until 1.15pm) are required to bring a small snack for snack-time at 12.00pm. This snack should be in accordance with our Healthy Eating Policy which is provided to each child at the start of term.
We require snacks to be provided in a clear plastic bag labelled clearly with the child’s name.
We ask that all children are provided with a bottle of water or juice. This can be refilled during the day as needed.
Collection times
Our collection times are 11.30am if your child is availing of our ECCE service and 1.00 or 1.15pm if availing of our optional extra programme. We ask that you are on time for your collection. Children will be brought to you by a staff member who will brief you on how your child’s day went.
Click here to view our Health Food Policy
Curriculum & Educational Programme
At the Village Childcare we offer an ECCE curriculum which is influenced by Aistear (National Curriculum Framework) and Siolta (National Quality Framework) in our "Sunflowers" and "Busy Bees" rooms and a Play-based Curriculum in our "Teddy bears" room also influenced by Aistear and Siolta.
Each month is given a theme and activities are planned around that theme. We incorporate the children’s interests in our monthly themes.
Meet the Teachers
Meet Marie, Angie, and Andrea, your new teachers in Busy Bees Pod! You will have lots of fun in our Busy Bees room with all your new friends. As the saying goes you will be busy as a bee doing lots of exciting things and learning so much with them.
Meet Becky, Leanne, and Fran, your new teachers in the Sunflowers Pod. You will have lots of fun in our Sunflowers room with all your new friends. We hope your child will blossom like a flower in our sunflowers room with all the learning they will do.
Meet Áine and Stacey, your new teachers in Teddy Bears Pod! You will have lots of fun in play school with all your new friends. You will do lots of exciting things and learn so much with them.