Compliance Workshop
Kerry County Childcare Committee will run an online Compliance Workshop on Thursday, 2nd May @ 7.00 pm.
This workshop is aimed at ELC/SAC managers and staff who have a responsibility to ensure adherence with programme rules and contract conditions. Our workshop aims to support services to become more confident with the compliance process and to reduce levels of non-compliance.
To book a place please email eilish@kerrycountychildcare.com
Everyday Spaces training for Early Years Educators
Everyday Spaces training for Early Years Educators is being run on Saturday 20th April 2024, 10-4pm in Kerry CCC Offices, Monavalley, Tralee.
This training will focus on how The National Participation Framework can enhance your work on involving babies, toddlers, and young children in decision-making in your everyday practice. This training will refer to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and will explore practical approaches that can be applied in everyday decision-making in your early learning and care services.
Kathryn O’Donnell and Rachel O’Mahony from Kerry County Childcare Committee will deliver this training and both have been trained by Hub na nÓg to provide training on the National Participation Framework and Children’s Participation in Decision Making in ‘Everyday Spaces’.
To book a place on this training please contact Eilish on 066 718 1582 / eilish@kerrycountychildcare.com
Update April 10th 2024 – Only *4* places remaining
Always Children First: Child Safeguarding Awareness Training for Organisations: Foundation Training
Always Children First is a standardised child protection training course which is available to Early Years Practitioners. This training programme is delivered by the Childcare Committees.
The training has been developed by the Tusla in partnership with the National Early Years Children First Committee. This co-ordinated approach to child protection training aims to provide access to a standardised training course for everyone working with children and families in the early years sector as well as promoting consistent implementation of child protection policies and procedures across the sector.
Always Children First – Child Safeguarding Awareness Training: Foundation Level: This is a quality assured child protection training course tailored for the Early Years sector. Kerry County Childcare staff deliver training to practitioners working in preschools, full-day care services, afterschools and childminding settings. The training is delivered in Irish through Forbairt Naionrai Teoranta and Comhar Naionrai na Gaeltachta. The 6 hour workshop is usually delivered over one full day or over two consecutive evenings. Attendees at the workshop receive a certificate of participation. Childcare practitioners are required to renew their Always Children First certificate every 3 years.
For further information on Always Children First Child Safeguarding Awareness Training, please contact Catherine / Kathryn at Kerry Childcare Committee on (066) 7181582.
* April 2024 Update: Remaining training dates for 2024 are:
Saturday 13th April – KCCC Offices, Tralee – Kathryn O’Donnell kathryn@kerrycountychildcare.com
*Now full* Saturday 27th April – KCCC Offices, Tralee – Catherine Callaghan catherine@kerrycountychildcare.com
Saturday 11th May – KCCC Offices, Tralee – Kathryn O’Donnell kathryn@kerrycountychildcare.com
Saturday 25th May -KCCC Offices, Tralee – Catherine Callaghan catherine@kerrycountychildcare.com
If you want to book a place please contact the relevant trainer and provide a copy of your E learning certs for Children First and Mandated Persons E Learning Programmes, dated within the 12 months prior to the training date. It is now a prerequisite that both courses must be completed and copies of the certs forwarded to us prior to the full day training (See links below). Places are limited to 2/3 per service and priority will be given to Designated Liaison Persons and Deputy Designated Liaison Persons or new staff who have never completed this training.
Links to E-Learning programmes are below:
Children First can be accessed here
Mandated Persons E-Learning Programme here
Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Training
This training programme was developed to support educators to engage with the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Charter and Guidelines for Early Childhood Care and Education published in 2016. The training aims to foster awareness about Diversity, Equality and Inclusion and to encourage and support those working in the early years sector to actively advocate for inclusion for all children and their families within the ECCE setting. It explores the key issues surrounding Diversity, Equality and Inclusion and promotes good practice in terms of supporting Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in an early childhood education and care setting.
This training programme is 15 hours and is delivered by Kerry County Childcare staff. ECCE staff members from each childcare setting are invited to attend the training programme. Attendees receive a certificate of participation. Participants must attend all sessions.
The National Síolta Aistear Initiative
The National Síolta Aistear Initiative has been developed to provide central support and coordination of Síolta and Aistear implementation across the early childhood sector.
The initiative has two strands:
The first will focus on Síolta, including the introduction of four Síolta awareness raising workshops
The second strand relates to Aistear, and will see the delivery of workshops and coaching to support practitioners to use Aistear in their setting.
Catherine was selected as a Siolta/Aistear mentor and has participated in a number of seminars on specific areas of practice to further support her work with practitioners.
The Síolta Aistear Introductory Workshop
The Síolta Aistear Introductory Workshop provides an overview of the two national early years’ frameworks, Síolta and Aistear, and the online support tool, the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide. The workshop will support participants to:
- learn about the purpose and structure of Síolta and Aistear
- explore the connections between the two frameworks
- find out more about the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide
- examine the possibilities for further support and guidance in relation to Aistear and Siolta
Services who are interested in should contact Catherine Callaghan on 066 7181582 / 087 9675212 / catherine@kerrycountychildcare.com
Additional workshops and coaching are provided by Better Start and expressions of interest are periodically called for those services wishing to participate in the initiative.
The Practice Guide Resources
The Aistear Síolta Practice Guide is an online resource to support practitioners to use Aistear and Síolta together to improve the quality of their curriculum. The Practice Guide can be accessed at at www.aistearsiolta.ie
Tusla On Line E Learning Programmes
Continuing professional development resources for practitioners are available on the Tusla website, you will have access to free E-Learning courses
Children First can be accessed here
Mandated Persons E-Learning Programme here
Early Years Providers Programmes here
Quality and Regulatory Programme here
First 5
Continuing professional development resources for practitioners are available on the First 5 website. The Free E-Learning courses avaialble can be accessed here.