Children can attend from 7.30 am to 6.30 pm, they will receive breakfast, morning snack, hot dinner, afternoon snack and tea.

Ducklings:   Accommodates children aged 12 months onwards, it has a capacity of up to 10 children and the ratio is based on 1 practitioner and 5 children.  The room is equipped with age appropriate equipment, small tables and chairs for the children to sit independently and move around the furniture.   The daily plan is child centred and the activities are based on the children’s interests and themes.  Children will move onto the Monkey room when space allows.

Monkeys:  Accommodates children aged 24 months onwards and has a capacity of 12 children, working on a ratio of 1 practitioner to 6 children.  This  room may also cater for the ECCE scheme for the older children in the room who are eligible. The curriculum within the room encourages the child’s learning through various activities based on an emerging curriculum, using Aistear framework.  Sleeping requirements are accommodate according to parents wishes.

Pandas:  The room can accommodate up to 16 children for full day care and 19 children for the ECCE session.  The ratio is 1:8 for full day care and 1:11 for sessional times.  This room has combined groups from 3 years up of children in their first and second playschool year.  Play is extremely important for learning at this stage and we encourage the children to make their own choices and help them to build their confidence and independence.  As in all other rooms, the curriculum emerges based on the children’s interests which have been noted by the practitioners in the room, as well as various themes throughout the year, using the Aistear Framework.  The ECCE session runs from 9:15am to 12:15noon in this room.

Giraffes:   This is our sessional playschool in our new extension and accommodates 22 children, with 2 practitioners but we aim to try and have 3 practitioners as much as possible.  This is a mixed group of children in their first and second year of the ECCE scheme.  We love to play – it encourages learning without knowing it!  curriculum emerges based on the children’s interests which have been noted by the practitioners in the room, as well as various themes throughout the year, using the Aistear Framework.  The ECCE session runs from 9:30am to 12:30noon in this room for 38 weeks of the year.

School Aged Childcare:  Is now offered in our new extension “The Den”.  We start breakfast club at 7:30am until 9am, and the children are accompanied across to St Marys National School for 9.20am.  We have 2 afterschool rooms and can accomodate up to 48 children.  Children are collected from St Marys National school at 2pm or 3pm, they are provided with a hot meal just after 3pm and a small snack at 5:30pm.  Written homework is supervised and we encourage children to stop after 1 hour if their homework is not complete, in order to have some down time with their friends.  We try to play outside as much as possible, acknowledging that children have been in school all day and need the space to get outside.  Afterschool closes at 6:30pmGolden Hour is also held in The Den, children can be collected from this room.

Playschool

In our sessional room playschool runs from 9:30am to 12:30pm and can accommodate 22 children.  We are registered to provide the ECCE scheme.  Please contact management to find out the year your child is eligible.  Playschool session also runs in our full day care room from 9:15am to 12:15pm.

Breakfast Club

Breakfast club is now run in our purpose built extension.  For those attending St Mary’s National School, children can avail of the breakfast club before school starts. They will receive breakfast and be accompanied to school at 9.20am.

Afterschool Club

Children are collected from St Mary’s National School at either 2pm or 3pm. They are provided with a hot meal. Homework is supervised and the children are then given the opportunity to choose their own activities.

Golden Hour Club

For those children in Junior and Senior Infants who may have older siblings finishing at 3pm, we provide care for one hour, to save parents on collections. Extra hours are available outside these sessions, depending on numbers, please speak to the Manager if you require same.

 

Our rooms

All our rooms are bright, spacious and fun. They are carefully laid out so that they are practical for their purpose. The set up of the rooms ensure that children have smooth movement from activity to activity yet feel secure within the room itself, they are assessed at various times throughout the year and the room environment is changed, dependent on the needs of the children in the room at that time.

All rooms open onto a fully secured playground area which is fitted with soft play tiles, grass and tarmacadam. This allows us to conduct outside activities daily, weather permitting, of course. We have two areas, one for the smaller children with small climbing frames, swings and a number of outdoor toys.  We were also fortunate enough in April 2016 to have a number of parents volunteer to help us develop our outdoor area and we now have a fabulous covered sand pit, and soft play area, that the children play in every day. The larger area is suitable for older playschool and  afterschool children and has a grass area for football, a larger climbing frame and larger swing set.

Baby Room

Our baby room accomodates children from 6 months onwards, it has a capacity of 6 babies (up to 12months) and is based on a ratio of 1 adult to 3 babies.  The room is filled with age appropriate equipment for the babies, and as we have underground heating, it is nice and cosy for those just beginning to move around.  The child’s day is based around the routine already established at home.  Lots of activities go on throughout the day and the children also mix with those in the toddler room, in order for them to aquaint themselves with their next room, and the staff attached to that room. Babies will be moved into the toddler room, either when space allows or when we feel they are ready and able to cope with the bigger room and the large number of children.  Either full day care or part time day care applicable to this room.

Toddler Room

This is the next stage after the baby room, and can accomodate up to 11 toddlers between 1 and 3 years. It is based on a ratio of 1 adult to 5 toddlers (1-2years), or 1 adult to 6 toddlers (2-3 years). There is a daily curriculum within the room, to encourage the children’s learning through various fun activities, based on an emergent curriculum and the children’s current interests. Sleeping requirements are accomodated within the parents wishes.   Either full day care or part time day care applicable to this room

Junior Playschool Room

Junior Playschool room accommodates children between 3 and 4 years, it is run on a similar basis to Senior playschool, but encompassing age appropriate activities for those attending. This room has a capacity of 14 children and is based on a ratio of 1 adult to 8 children. The majority of children in this group are toilet trained, although it is not compulsory, children attending should be completely toilet trained or in the process of being toilet trained. Junior playschool runs from 9am to 12 noon, those attending full day care or part time day care may also be accommodated in this room.

Senior Playschool Room

This room can accommodate up to 19 children and is based on a ratio of 1 adult to 11 children. The staff within this room focus on getting the children ready for attending school, by encouraging their independence and teaching them how to listen and follow an instruction. Obviously play is as important in this room as in all other rooms, and children are encouraged to socialise with their friends during their time in playschool, while learning to share, compromise, etc. As in all other rooms, the curriculum emerges based on the children’s interests which have been noted by the practitioners in the room. Senior playschool runs from 9am to 12 noon, those attending full day care or part time day care may also be accommodated in this room.

Afterschool Room

Children are collected from St Mary’s National School at either 2pm or 3pm. They are provided with a hot meal. Homework is supervised, and lasts no longer than 1 hour, if homework is not completed in an hour, children must complete it at home.Once homework is complete children are then given the opportunity to choose their own activities.