Grovelands Childcare is now welcoming school age children that do not currently have a CHICK to apply for the National Childcare Scheme.

Under recent changes by the DCEDIY, the extension of NCS now means school age children can  avail of a universal subsidy for the hours they attend our school age service. Up until now this was only available as an income assessed subsidy.

Under our contract obligations we must inform all SAC (school age childcare) families of the extension of the NCS and that this subsidy is now available to you. It is up to you whether you wish to apply for it. A mandatory form will be available on your ChildPaths account in the coming days to complete. We will issue a notification through ChildPaths as soon as it is available to you.

Before you apply there are some guidance notes to be very aware of if you already have another child on the NCS. Please see below.

Instructions on how to add a sibling to the NCS

You can apply online for your NCS subsidy here using your MyGovID. See the Application Guide for assistance on how to apply.

To make a paper application, please contact the NCS Parent Support Centre on 01 906 8530. The Parent Support Centre will then send you an application form by post.

A big welcome to all our new preschool families starting this week and a huge welcome back to our senior preschoolers. This year the ECCE  preschool calendar for 2021/22  is the same for all Grovelands Childcare centres so any reminders on social media will apply to all sites.

Green are the days ECCE preschool is on and red is the days that its closed.

Grovelands Childcare 2021 Preschool Calendar dates

Due to current restrictions, our enrolment process at Grovelands Childcare is a bit different than normal.  Because ‘calling in’ to our centres is not an option, we have made it easy for parents to reserve your child’s place and pay a refundable booking deposit online here.

In order for us to comply fully with appropriate social distancing measures, the number of places available for 2021 may be limited and are filling fast.

Remember, if your child will turn 3 on or before the 31st of December 2021 you should enrol now.

Choosing whom to entrust your child to in their formative years may be one of the most important decisions you make for your child.

By trusting us at Grovelands Childcare you will discover how important a quality preschool can be in developing the person they will become in the future.

At Grovelands Childcare, we make ‘early learning and care’ what it should be. A truly safe environment where children can feel secure sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings. Expert Educarers who foster respect, independence and a real sense of belonging. Innovative stimuli that spur creativity, self-expression and exploration. Learning experiences that grow in richness and depth as childrens’ needs and abilities do. This is what every child enjoys at Grovelands. This is CHILDCARE PLUS.

With more than 30 years experience caring for thousands of children in Tullamore, Athlone and Mullingar, we know what works when it comes to nurturing your child’s wellbeing, development and learning.

Our team is passionate about their work and love what they do, and we believe it shows in our award-winning interactions and environments indoor and out. At Grovelands, our staff are more than carers, they are Early Childhood Educators, Educarers for short. Each one is highly qualified and experienced in meeting the individual needs of your child and your family.

We make it a priority to make sure each of our pre-school children are more than ready for Primary School socially, emotionally and educationally.

So, when your child leaves us to go to ‘big school’ you can rest assured they will be confident and competent in their abilities and comfortable in social settings which will allow them to shine in the classroom and beyond.

All of our staff are highly qualified, Garda vetted and we have state of the art security settings and procedures in place at each of our centres. At Grovelands Childcare, you can rest assured that your child is always safe, secure and stimulated.

If your child is NOT 3 years on or before December 31st 2021, you can enroll them for an ECCE place for September 2022 Grovelands also offers sessional care for children 2-3 years. You may be available for other subsidies for your child under 3 under the National Childcare Scheme.

Find out exactly what your childcare entitlements are at www.ncs.gov.ie

Masks Now Mandatory: With the rise of Covid case in the community and on the back of feedback received from parents in our survey we are now making parental masks mandatory.

When you are dropping off and collecting your child at any of our centres please ensure you are wearing a mask.

We would also like to remind parents to keep their social distance when in the line at drop off and collection times.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our team and families safe.

If you haven’t let complete our parents survey you can do so on the link below

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ParentalFeedback20

As the entire county move to Level 5 under the Living with Covid Framework we would like to assure our families to our commitment to reopening open for this period.

These current restrictions will be for 6 weeks. Under Level 6 Creches and Schools will remain open.

At all times we will follow direction from NPHET, the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Children.

If you have any questions in relation to our childs attendance during this period please don’t hesitate to contact us.