When the time comes to entrust someone else with your little one’s care, it’s completely natural to feel a mix of excitement and worry. Every parent wants to know their child is happy, safe and supported, having the right information makes that decision much easier.
In Ireland, there are several types of childcare services available to suit different families, routines, and budgets. The best option for you will depend on your family’s needs, your child’s needs and personality, and the type of care environment you prefer.
To learn about Childcare services and what they might offer, Click on the tabs below to reveal information about each.
A school age service is a service that provides care, which includes a range of developmental and recreational activities for children under the age of 15 years, who are in primary or post-primary education, outside of school hours. For example; an afterschool service, or a breakfast club service.
Childminders offer a more personalised, home-like environment with flexible hours that can better suit varied work schedules and family needs. A childminder is a self-employed professional who cares for a small group of children in the minder’s own home, providing a home-like childcare setting. They are responsible for the children’s daily needs, such as feeding, playing, safety and care. Childminders offer a flexible and family-oriented service that caters to mixed-age groups and often aligns with parents’ work schedules.
A part-time day care service refers to a programme for children over 3.5 hours and less than 5 hours per day.
Breakfast Clubs provide children with a healthy, nutritious meal before the start of the school day in a safe and relaxed environment. They are designed to support families by offering early morning care, often helping parents manage work and school schedules more easily.
What Breakfast Clubs services might offer:
Breakfast Clubs can be offered by:
Researching various services allows you to make informed decisions when choosing an Early Learning and Care service.
School-Age Childcare services are regulated by the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Registration of School Age Services) Regulations 2018.
Barnardos has a booklet Quality School Age Care-What to look for in a Service to Care for your Child Outside of School which offers guidance to parents on choosing a quality service for their child during the time when they are not available and their child is not in school.
The Early Learning and Care sector is regulated under the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years’ Services) Regulations 2016. Tusla Child and Family Agency has statutory responsibility to support compliance and quality standards through regular inspection.
For more information on the Regulations and Early Years Inspections see the ELC and SAC Regulations and Inspections section of the website here.
To view Tusla registered service’s inspection reports visit: Tusla’s website
The National Child Safeguarding Programme – Early Learning and Care has a leaflet for parents which outlines what parents can expect in relation to Child Safeguarding from Early Learning and Care services, it is available in English and Irish and can be downloaded below:
