Dear Service Provider,

As some services may close for the Easter break, dates during 14-18 and/or 21-25 April, it may be necessary to make the following changes on your Early Years Hive.

Please note Good Friday, 18 April 2025, is not a public holiday.

We advise making any necessary changes as soon as possible to ensure there are no issues when returns are submitted and payments processed.

NCS: Service calendar and returns

If your service is closed for part or all of the week, you must mark the closures on your NCS service calendar accordingly. You must also note whether it is a subsidised (paid) closure or not.

For more information, please see ‘How to add a closure’ on the NCS Service Calendar section of Help & Support.

For school-aged/ECCE children, if you are increasing their hours during mid-term, please ensure you do not forget to amend the hours for children whose hours reduce after mid-term. As you know NCS subsidy hours cannot be claimed for hours that a child is in school or ECCE, or hours that your service is closed, and any over-claims are liable to be recouped.

NCS returns must be submitted on the Early Years Hive each week. Returns become available from the last day (Sunday) of the reporting week and must be completed by the following Tuesday and are based on the previous week’s attendance. If a return is not submitted within the required timeframe, all subsidy payments will be suspended until it is submitted.

Changes cannot be made to service calendar opening hours or claim hours once a return for that week has been submitted on the Early Years Hive.

If you require further assistance, please raise a Service Request using the following categories ensuring that you include the CHICK number in the request:

• Programme: NCS
• Request Type: NCS Calendar
• Request Type Details: General

NCS: Updated bridging payments  

A ‘bridging payment’ is available to service providers during periods of subsidised closure, if they are unavailable to submit their weekly NCS return, for example, mid-term breaks, Easter, Christmas etc.

Important: Please keep claims active at all stages. Please do not amend calendars in regard to bridging payments unless the hours of the service have changed for that period. Example: Normal opening hours 9am to 5pm however over the mid-term opening hours 2pm to 6pm.

Update

For guidance on returns, as well as updated guidance on bridging payments, please see the NCS Attendance Returns Guide.

ECCE: Service calendar

Providers in contract for the ECCE programme are reminded that changes to service calendars must be first approved by County Childcare Committees (CCCs) and parents must be given 20 working days’ notice in writing of any change to the service’s calendar.

Copies of such notices must be kept on file for compliance purposes.

Approved providers in contract for the ECCE programme must be open for a minimum of 38 weeks (or 182 days) over the programme year.

For further information on service calendars, please contact your local CCC or refer to the ECCE Service Calendar section of Help & Support.

If you require further assistance, please raise a Service Request using the following categories:

• Programme: ECCE
• Request Type: ECCE Calendar
• Request Type Details: General

CCSP Saver Programme: Amending sessions (e.g. a child is moving from part-time to full-time)

If a registration is changing and needs to be updated from part-time to full-time, please input a CCSP Leaver with the date the child is changing service level. A new registration should then be created with the updated level of service for the appropriate period, within 6 weeks of the start date of the new registration.

Please see ‘How to end/add a CCSP Saver Programme child registration’ on the CCSP child registration section of Help & Support for guidance:

If you require further assistance, please raise a Service Request using the following categories:

• Programme: CCSP
• Request Type: Registrations
• Request Type Details: Leaver

Regards,
The Early Years Team

Updated Aistear for the Early Learning and Care Sector – March 2025

We are currently in a period of dissemination and developing familiarity and understanding of the  updated Aistear curriculum framework. A series of information briefings and professional
development activities will be held during 2025, including a national conference on 24th May, 2025. In addition, the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide and other relevant resources will be updated over the coming months to reflect the updates in Aistear. It is important to stress that all you know about the original Framework remains relevant in the update. Resources and supports will be provided in the lead-up to September 2025 and beyond, ensuring that early years educators have the resources they need for sustained professional development to implement the updated Framework.

Key dates and resources for early years educators:

• Updated Framework and further information

You can access the updated Framework and further information here.
o Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework
o Aistear – Guidance for Good Practice
o Frequently asked questions about Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework

• NCCA Resources and Supports

o Videos: There are two introductory videos available on the NCCA website. One provides a walkthrough of the Aistear curriculum framework, and the other offers an overview of the Principles of Aistear. These videos serve as key starting point for early years educators looking to familiarise themselves with the updated Framework. These can be accessed here

o Bi-weekly Blogs: NCCA are currently publishing a series of bi-weekly blogs on their website. These blogs delve into the new concepts and updates in the updated Aistear curriculum framework, providing valuable insights for educators. These blogs are shared widely on social media to ensure broad access and can be found here.

o Research Papers: NCCA recently published a paper on ‘Aistear as a Rights-based Early Childhood Curriculum Framework’ and a series of research papers will be published in May 2025 exploring concepts including rights and agency for babies, toddlers and young children, an emergent and inquiry-based curriculum, and sustainability in early childhood education.

• Family and Child Guides
o Family Guide to Aistear: An easy-to-read guide to understanding Aistear for families will be available online in March. This guide will offer families insight into how their baby, toddler or young child’s learning and development is supported by Aistear.
o Child’s Guide: Child-friendly versions exploring important concepts of the Aistear curriculum framework will be released online later in the year, designed to help babies, toddlers and young children understand the Framework in an engaging, child centred way.

• Hard copy dissemination of Aistear
Beginning in March, DCEDIY, in partnership with CCCs, will distribute hard copies of the updated Aistear to early learning and care settings across the country. This ensures that all
early years educators will have the updated curriculum framework in their hands for practical reference and implementation.

• Information sessions for early years educators
o NCCA in partnership with CCCs will deliver an online nationwide webinar on the updates to Aistear on March 18th at 7pm. You can register here.
o CCCs (City/County Childcare Committees) will offer online and in-person information sessions from the beginning of May to share the updates to the Aistear curriculum
framework. Early years educators are encouraged to get in touch with their local CCC for information on session schedules and registration details.
o Local Communities of Professional Practice will also play a key role in supporting early years educators’ engagement with the updated Aistear curriculum framework. For more details, educators should reach out to their local CCC.
o Support Organisations (Barnardos, Better Start, Blathú, Childminding Ireland, Early Childhood Ireland, Gaeloideachas, National Childhood Network and St. Nicholas Montessori Society) will offer a variety of thematic webinars, blogs etc.

• Updated Aistear Síolta Practice Guide
The Aistear Síolta Practice Guide is being updated to reflect the latest updates to the Aistear curriculum framework. This updated version will be available to early years educators in May.

• NSAI eLearning
The NSAI eLearning module, An introduction to Aistear, Síolta and the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide will be updated to align with the revised Aistear curriculum framework. These updated
modules will be available for educators to access in May, providing an excellent opportunity for ongoing professional development.

• National Conference – May 24th 2025
A national conference will take place on Saturday, May 24th in Dublin. The conference will focus on bringing together early years educators, academics, students, and support organisations to explore the updates, new concepts, and key messages within the updated Aistear. The aim of the conference is to inform and inspire educators to consider how the updated Framework can be reflected in daily practice. Registration information will be circulated shortly.

• Updated support documents from key stakeholders
As part of the dissemination Better Start, the Department of Education Inspectorate, and Tusla’s Early Years Inspectorate are updating their support documents to align with the updated Aistear curriculum framework.

• Engagement with higher and further education institutions
NCCA are hosting a series of nationwide information sessions for higher and further education institutions on the updated Framework to support their integration into level 5-8 initial professional education programmes.

• Ongoing supports
The activities being undertaken in 2025 to disseminate the Aistear curriculum framework are part of a long-term process supporting services to use Aistear. Further resources and
supports will be provided to the sector in the lead-up to September 2025 and beyond, ensuring that early years educators have the resources they need for sustained professional
development to support their practice.

If you have any questions about the updated curriculum framework, please contact your local City and County Childcare Committee. Contact details are available here.
Over the coming months we hope you enjoy becoming familiar with and using the updated Aistear framework.

PRESS RELEASE

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth invites applications to an Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund call for proposals

• A maximum of €1.5m will be made available to one or more organisations to provide rehabilitative services and other supports for survivors of torture residing in Ireland.
• Minimum grant amount of €495,000, over 1-2 years, under Ireland’s national programme for the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).

28 February 2025

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth today launched a Call for Proposals from organisations capable of providing rehabilitative services and other supports for survivors of torture and victims of cruel and inhuman or degrading treatment. This follows funding provided to 18 organisations in 2023 following a broader Call for Proposals, which was supported by the 2021-2027 AMIF Programme. As a result of these initiatives, the path towards integration of migrants, many of whom have fled very challenging circumstances in other countries, has been made significantly easier.

The Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) is an EU fund that aims to boost national capacities and improve procedures for migration management, as well as to enhance solidarity and responsibility sharing between Member States.

How to apply:

Applicants can access a detailed guidance document and complete an online application form here.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 12 pm on 28 March 2025.

ENDS

Note for Editors:

This call is part of the AMIF 2021-2027 National Programme and open to public, private and voluntary bodies.

·    Under both the previous (2014-2020) and current AMIF national programme, the Government has supported a wide range of NGO-led migrant integration and support programmes; aspects of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP); the HSE SafetyNet mobile health screening unit; and the Returns Programme operated by the Department of Justice for asylum seekers whose claims have not been successful, or who choose to voluntarily return to their home country.

·    The AMIF 2021-2027 Programme, at both EU and national levels, is comprised of four Specific Objectives:

(1) strengthening and developing all aspects of the Common European Asylum System, including its external dimension;

(2) strengthening and developing legal migration to the Member States in accordance with their economic and social needs, and promoting and contributing to the effective integration and social inclusion of third-country nationals;

(3) contributing to countering irregular migration, enhancing effective, safe and dignified return and readmission, and promoting and contributing to effective initial reintegration in third countries;

(4) enhancing solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility between the Member States,

Beneficiaries of temporary protection fleeing the conflict in Ukraine are eligible to participate on AMIF-funded projects.

Further information can be obtained from the AMIF Managing Authority, Funds Administration Unit of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, at amif@equality.gov.ie

Issued by the Press and Communications Office at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
Tel: 01 539 3801
Email: press.office@equality.gov.ie