BE WINTER READY ADVISORY INFORMATION – 5th of January 2025

DCEDIY would like to remind providers of the specific Be Winter Ready advisory information for Early Learning and Childcare settings which is available at gov.ie – Schools and Early Learning and Childcare Services Severe Weather – Be Winter Ready. The information includes important details for services on being prepared, keeping informed of weather updates and advisories and decision making on possible service closures.

Some services may take a decision to close in areas affected by severe weather due to local conditions and safety concerns. A decision to close will be a matter for individual providers. Given the nature of this weather event, providers will be best placed to decide in light of the local weather conditions, which vary in regions. Providers should consider the guidance and direction available from the principal response agencies.

More generally, the Key Public Safety Messages for this weather event include:

Wintry showers and icy surfaces will lead to difficult travel conditions
Road conditions will be hazardous, even where roads are gritted, slow down, drive with caution, be aware of other road users and allow extra time for your journey.
Drivers travelling longer journeys are advised to be aware of conditions right along their route, as the weather may vary significantly across different parts of the country.
Public transport may also be affected by this spell of wintry weather; people are advised to check with service operators for the latest updates in their area.
Take extra care while walking: footpaths etc. can be extremely hazardous/slippery due to ice
People are advised to prepare for this period of severe weather including ensuring their mobile phone is fully charged to enable communication.
Keep your phone charged and take it with you on all journeys. In an emergency dial 999 or 112
Monitor Met Éireann forecasts and/or visit https://www.met.ie/ for the most up to date information. Information is available across social media platforms and other news media sources.
ESB Emergency Services can be contacted at 1800 372 999. The public can monitor www.PowerCheck.ie.
Uisce Éireann Customers can check their website and social media channels for updates and to get in touch with any issues or concerns via our 24/7 customer care centre at 1800 278 278. People can also sign up online to free text alert system to get regular updates about their local supplies – see www.water.ie.

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February 2025 – Tusla Regulatory Notice ‘Definition of Enrolment in a School Age Service’

Tusla have published a regulatory notice relating to the definition of enrolment in a School Age Service. The notice makes clear that the Early Years Inspectorate (EYI) considers a child enrolled in a school-age service if they are physically attending the service and, for primary students, registered on the Primary Online Database (POD). A two-week settling-in period before attendance starts is allowed with supporting records. This approach helps maintain appropriate care ratios and takes effect immediately.

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Minister O’Gorman publishes Introductory Guidelines to Support the Meaningful Inclusion of Autistic Children in Early Learning and Care, School-Age Childcare and Childminding Settings – 11 October 2024

Roderic O’ Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, today published Introductory Guidelines to Support the Inclusion of Autistic Children in Early Learning and Care, School-Age Childcare and Childminding Settings. The Guidelines are for early years educators, school-age childcare practitioners and childminders who are currently working to support the meaningful inclusion of autistic children in early learning and care, school-age childcare and childminding settings. They form part of a wider suite of universal and targeted supports under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) which have been designed to ensure children with a disability and additional needs can access and participate in the ECCE programme and early learning and
care settings more broadly. The Guidelines fulfil a commitment in the recently launched National Autism Innovation Strategy, which aims to address the bespoke challenges and barriers facing autistic people and to improve understanding and accommodation of autism within society and across the
public system. Each year 2,735 services benefit from AIM supports.

Public Consultation on a National Plan for Irish Language provision in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) is now closed

Following on from the launch of the public consultation on a national plan for Irish language provision in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC), on 06/06, DCEDIY are encouraging the ELC and SAC sector, early years educators, practitioners, and parents to engage with the consultation through completing the online survey and /or to express their interest in participating in the focus groups (please contact fiosru@mic.ul.ie)

All information on the consultation is available here.

Táimid ag lorg do thacaíocht leis an gcomhairliúchán poiblí ar Phlean Náisiúnta do Sholáthar Gaeilge san Fhoghlaim agus Cúram na Luath-Óige (ELC) agus sa Chúram Leanaí d’Aois Scoile (SAC).

An féidir libh aird a chuir ar an gcomhairliúchán le suíomhanna, na hoideoirí luathbhlianta agus grúpaí tuismitheoirí chun páirt a ghlacadh sna ghrúpaí fócais (i bpearsan nó ar líne, léirigh spéis le fiosru@mic.ul.ie ) agus /nó an suirbhé a líonadh isteach.

Tá gach eolas ar fáil anseo

Cóiméad do shúile amach do na fógraí agus roinn iad ar na meáin sóisialta, chomh minic agus is féidir.

Tusla Guidance Documents and Resources

Tusla have developed a guidance documents and resources for everyone working in early years services – please find a range of guidance documents on Tusla’s resource page along with report documentation on ResourcesTusla – Child and Family Agency

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National Síolta Aistear Initiative- CPD

The learning experiences in this CPD have been developed to support early years practitioners in becoming familiar with some of the resources on the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide. Please note that you can view and edit the learning experiences with Adobe Acrobat only. You can read how to do this by clicking this link here.

To read more, please click here.

Each learning experience:

Contains viewing and reading materials to support you in your professional role working with Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework and Síolta: the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education
Is linked to Aistear’s themes and Síolta’s standards
Contains a section at the end for key reflections on learning and possible future actions.

If you are not already familiar with the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide you might like to begin by clicking on the learning experience here: Introduction to the Practice Guide.

If you are already familiar with the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide, you can go directly to the learning experiences by following this link http://www.aistearsiolta.ie/en/CPD/ and scrolling to the bottom of the page.