Over the past few days we have received several queries from members in relation to this document, so in response we have provided the following 3 points as a further explanation of these changes:

1. Overall Summary of the Ratio Changes

• In order to avail of the increased ratios you need to be operating as part of the ECCE scheme

• The increased ratios relate only to the sessional pre-school element of a service.

• The increased ratios are in effect only for the duration of the session (with a maximum length of 3 ½ hours) and outside of this session time the ratios will revert back.

• There can be a mix of ECCE and non-ECCE children in the session to which the increased ratios apply, as long as they fall within the 2 ½ to 6 years age range.

• The increased ratios will take effect from September 2012

2. Quality Matters

Budgetary changes affecting early childhood care and education services were announced in December 2011. One of those changes was a lowering of the subvention rates (from €64.50 to €62.50 and from €75 to €73 per week) and the increase of ratios to 1:11.

Early Childhood Ireland’s stance is that Quality Matters. We have been working with members over many years to improve practice, to increase levels of qualification in the sector and to secure pre-school provision for all children.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) has assured Early Childhood Ireland that:

‘We are committed to returning to previous levels of capitation and ratios as soon as possible.  This is a temporary measure adopted by the Minister and the DCYA out of current necessity to accommodate the increased numbers of children who will avail of the scheme and at the same time to support the sustainability of ECCE services’.
(DCYA, 16th May 2012)

The proposed changes in the budget are purely an economic and not a quality measure. This is not a direction of choice for Early Childhood Ireland or our members, but in very difficult times, with shrinking budgets it is a necessary step to hold on the scheme and ensure that children, their parents and our members have access to it.

3. Special Needs Funding

Early Childhood Ireland recognises that changes in ratios impact on children with additional needs and the staff that work with them.

We are also conscious that the levels of funding for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) differ across the country, that the source of the funding (through which agency) differs as does the number of hours allocated to children. Systems work well in some part s of the country but by and large our members indicate that the current system is failing children, families and early childhood services.

By participating in this survey, you will play your part in giving Early Childhood Ireland the necessary information to engage with the HSE about the whole inspection process and how it can be improved to the benefit of all.  We need at least 300 responses to get a representative sample of our members and we urge you to take action today and complete this survey, rather than assuming that someone else will.

The survey should take no longer than ten minutes and is completely  anonymous.

If you have any queries pertaining to the survey or it’s content please contact kjohnson [at] earlychildhoodieland [dot] ie or phone Kylie Johnson on 01 404 0697.

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Since then, Early Childhood Ireland has been in discussions with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) regarding how these changes will be implemented in practice and specifically in relation to the Pre School Inspection regime.

Member views guided our negotiations regarding the changes. These opinions were expressed to us at our Annual Conference in April, via Facebook, through our website but mostly from phone calls with members from across the country. We want to thank all these members for their insights and views.

We are now pleased to provide below for your information a copy of the note going out this week to guide the implementation of the new ratios from September 2012:

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Changes to ECCE Staffing and Space/Area ratios Effective from
September 2012

From September 2012, new staff ratios will apply in respect of the pre-school session element of services for service providers participating in the ECCE Programme. This will also affect the space ratios and sanitary accommodation requirements. 

Staffing Ratios

The minimum number of pre-school leaders and assistants in the free Pre-School Year service will be as follows:

For each maximum group size of up to 22 children in an ECCE setting there must be at least 1 pre-school leader who meets the qualification requirements outlined above (i.e. minimum NFQ Level 5 or equivalent).

The staff ratios outlined above apply to the sessional pre-school element of the service only, and only where all of the children in question are within the eligible age-range (i.e. where the children are between the ages of 2.5 years and 6 years). 

Outside of the pre-school session, providers must apply the staff ratios in respect of full-time, part-time or sessional services as outlined in the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2) Regulations 2006.

Space/area ratios per child

In order to allow for the implementation of the new adult:child ratios, it is proposed that a new space/area requirement of 1.818m2 per child will be applied. This will allow service providers to cater for additional children as set out below:

The space/area requirement per child in all other instances remains unchanged.

Sanitary Accommodation

Where service providers are in a position to avail of the new adult:child ratios outlined above the number of WC/WHBs required will also change in line with the new ratios, i.e. for every 11 toilet-using children there must be 1 toilet and 1 wash hand basin.

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• The above information was sent to all Early Childhood Ireland members by email on 14^th May and over the past few days we have received several follow-on queries from members in relation to the email. In response we have created a page with a few points as a further explanation of these changes.

Early Childhood Ireland recognises that this revision to the ratios is a temporary measure and that the intention of the DCYA is to move back to the lower ratio of 1:10 as soon as possible.

However, we are very concerned about the impact that this change may have on the provision of pre school education to children with Additional Needs. This is particularly the case in light of queries from members about a reported withdrawal by the HSE of SNA’s for pre school children in some areas of the country, from September 2012.

Pre School services operating on these very tight ratios would find it impossible to provide good levels of care for children with additional needs without the support of an SNA.

We, therefore, recommend that a measure be introduced to address this for the Autumn term.

If you have any queries regarding any aspect of the above, please do not hesitate to:

• phone us on 01 4057100 or
• email Irene Gunning (igunning [at] earlychildhoodireland [dot] ie) or Martina Carter (mcarter [at] earlychildhoodireland [dot] ie), or
• post a message on our Facebook page or through our website.

All Early Childhood Ireland Members will be able to view this content once they have logged in to the site. 

In order to login you need to have the following information:

Username: This is your Early Childhood Ireland Membership Number

Password: This would have been sent out to you in your Early Childhood Ireland Membership Pack, along with your membership number

Do not worry if you have lost or cannot remember your password as it is very easy to reset.  This is explained in the following steps, which take you through the process of logging in to the Member-Only Content:

Member Login

If you are not logged in and you click on a page that has been locked for members, the following message will display, informing you that you need to be logged in to view the page:

In order to access this page you will need to log in and you can do this by clicking the “Member Login” link in the top right-hand corner of the screen (outlined in red above).

Entering Your Login Details

Once you have clicked the “Member Login” link a drop-down menu will appear:

1. If you know your username and password:
This is where you enter your login details (your membership number as your username and then your password) and then click the double arrows to proceed (no. 1 outlined in red above). 
You will then be able to access the Member-Only content.

2. If you have lost your password:
All you need to do is click the “Lost Password?” link (no. 2 outlined in red above) and then follow the instructions below.

Resetting a Lost Password

After clicking the “Lost Password?” link you will directed be to the Lost Password page, where you will see the following dialogue box:

You can then enter either your username (which is your Membership number) or your email address and click the “Get New Password” button.  

Your new password will then be sent to the email address associated with your membership account.

Once you have received the password you can return to the website and login with the new details, in order to access the locked page.

The workshop was delivered by Elaine Sharkey (Business Development Manager of Early Childhood Ireland) and Chad Gilmer (Managing Director of iPLANiT).

• The Changing Business World

• Having a Marketing Plan

  • 1. Defining Your Vision

  • 2. SWOT Analysis

  • 3. Identify your Remarkable Difference

  • 4. Core Strategy

• The Marketing Mix

• Promotion

  • A Communications Plan

  • An Enrollment Strategy

  • A Digital Strategy

• Early Childhood Ireland Business Support Programme

The Changing Business World

We are currently operating in a very difficult business environment and one of the main causes of this is the rapidly changing economic circumstances which are being experienced globally.  This can be detrimental to bigger organisations, who, due to their size, cannot change quickly enough to reposition themselves in the evolving market. 

However this is actually good news for smaller businesses, such as the childcare sector, who have the advantage over bigger organisations, in that their relative size allows them to adapt more quickly to the changing demands of the market.

The business world is also moving to areas where the childcare sector already has demonstrable strengths. Previously we had been operating in a knowledge age, but now knowledge is no longer the preserve of the few, due to an increasing reliance on digital means of procuring information, which has essentially leveled the playing field. 

Instead we are now moving towards a relationship age, where the focus is shifting from global markets and big business to more of a community approach, which again places the child care market in a prime position to take advantage of the changes.

• Back to the Top

Having a Marketing Plan

An essential way of clarifying and driving your business objectives forward in an uncertain economic climate, is to draw up a marketing plan.  This becomes an important tool which will allow you to:

• Co-ordinate goals across your business -

• Consolidate both your internal and external communication

• Present a strong and consistent image of your business externally

If you have not already done so you will need to undertake a range of analysis in order to develop an effective marketing plan. Below we have provided some simple steps to guide you through this process:

1. Defining your Vision

This should be one of the crucial first steps in the development of your marketing plan as it will allow you to define and implement your goals by outlining the following elements:

• The current state of your business

• Where you want the business to go

• How you are going to get there

2. SWOT Analysis

It can be a good idea to carry out a SWOT analysis with both the stakeholders and staff involved in your business, so that everyone has a voice and in turn you are gaining access to a range of valuable perspectives:

Strengths

Identify what your strengths are both internally and externally.

Weaknesses

This can be a difficult one to do but it is important to honestly identify and appraise your weaknesses, in order to deal with them effectively.

Opportunities

Particularly in the childcare sector it is key to understand the various opportunities that are available to you at any one time e.g. government funding opportunities – Are you aware of any upcoming funding relevant to the sector? How might this impact on your business? Are you poised to take advantage of it? If so, how can you make the most of it?

Threats

If you identify the threats that may impact on your business you will be in a better position to deal with them should they arise.

3. Identify Your Remarkable Difference

This is what will set you apart from the competition so it is important that you identify what your differentiating factor is i.e. what is that you are better at than everyone else – is it Experience? Value? or Knowledge?

Your core strategy will then evolve out of this.

4. Core Strategy

Based on your remarkable difference, developing a Core Strategy is key when it comes to the following areas:

• The quality of the service that your business provides
• Positioning your business in the local community and the sector overall

• Back to the Top

The Marketing Mix

Once your core strategy is in place then you can use the “Marketing Mix” to drive your goals through your business.

This refers to the tactics/choices used by businesses when bringing products or services to the market. 

This includes the 5 Ps : Promotion, Product/Service, Place, Price and People.

Promotion

Due to the time constraints of the workshop Promotion was the only element of the Marketing Mix that was able to be looked at in some detail.  This focus covered 3 main areas:

A Communications Plan

To effectively promote your business you need to maintain a strong brand across all communication (from your external signage to your website), ensuring that everything has a consistent look and format. 

If you have had the same brand for a number of years it might be a good idea to reassess the various components of this, to make sure that you haven’t outgrown it and that it still suits the vision you have for the future progression of your business.

An Enrollment Strategy

As enrollment is key to the survival of all childcare services it is necessary to develop and adhere to an enrollment strategy. 

Part of this could involve identifying and targeting your “ideal family” to ensure that you are promoting yourself in such a way as to appeal directly to them.  

One of the easiest ways to increase your enrollment is to draw on your existing client base by asking parents to introduce yourself and your service to other families.

It is also important to nurture your relationships with the enrolled families by building and maintaining a database of client information.  This should allow you to segment and communicate with them in a more targeted and effective manner.

A Digital Strategy (Using your Website as a Business Tool)

Finally, the implementation of a digital strategy is one area where those operating in the childcare sector can really excel as it is a relatively cheap (sometimes even free) way of facilitating deeper and targeted interactions with families. It is also something that is measurable in that you can easily track the extent of the audience you are reaching and then adapt your strategy accordingly. 

Having a website for your business should be a core component of any digital strategy as it can be the most effective means of ensuring parent/customer acquisition.

If you do not already have a website you are missing out on one of the most powerful marketing avenues available to you and there is no need to be daunted by the prospect of having to branch into this new area as there are now several tools that exist to make the management of websites a very simple task. 

One of these tools is a Content Management System (CMS) which allows you to edit, modify and publish content very easily to the web (some of the popular CMSs would include WordPress, Joomla and Drupal). 

The most technical element of a website driven by a CMS is the initial setup of the site and depending on your level of IT skills it might be advisable to employ a web development company to do this for you.  However, once you have made this initial investment the maintenance and updating of the site should be as easy as editing a Word document or posting something to Facebook – you do not need to have any more experience than this!

Once you have established a website for your business there are several steps you can take to ensure that you are making it work to its full potential:

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

It is important that your website is showing up on internet search tools, such as Google, and that your business is listed for even non-specific searches (i.e. when someone searches for “childcare” rather than the exact name of your service).

In order to be placed in these search engine listings you need to engage in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), which should first involve identifying the areas and themes that you want to target (e.g. childcare in a specific location). You then need to use these words in your content AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, as the more you use the words the higher your position will be in the search engine listings, when people are searching for the terms that you have targeted. 

It is also important to consider the name of your website carefully, for instance if you are a childcare service and you have the word “childcare” in the title of your website this means that URL of every page of the site will also contain the word “childcare”, which will again impact your position.

Social Media

It is also worth setting up a Facebook and Twitter page for your business and using these avenues to drive people to your website.

Facebook in particular works on a recommendation process and the most valued and trusted recommendation comes from a friend.  Therefore, it is important to ask parents to “Like” you on Facebook as this is an important way of publicising your service to their friends, who are likely to be in similar positions, with young children. 

You could also encourage parents to leave comments/testimonials on your Facebook page as these will then be displayed both to those who look at your page and those who visit the page of the person who has written the testimonial.

Use of Multimedia

It is becoming increasingly easy to capture decent quality video footage on a range of devices and as it is now so simple to integrate videos into websites driven by a CMS this could be a creative way of enlivening your website and giving you the edge over your competitors. 

For instance, if you have an “About Us” page on your site you could list all the staff working in your service, providing a video introduction from each member or a tour of the service.  In this way you will be giving prospective parents a more personal insight into what it is that you offer, as well as a sense of security in that they are able to see the people who may be looking after their children.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) 

A CRM is a system which allows you to digitally store and manage all the necessary information related to parents/clients.  Using a CRM cuts down on much of the paperwork and administration that would traditionally be associated with this area and again this is something that should be easily integrated into a website.

Making Money from your Website

Once your website is up and running, why not investigate other ways of making money through it? 

Childcare services will always have intrinsic links to the community within which they are based and this can create some valuable opportunities to build additional revenue streams.  Parents will generally be visiting the service at least twice a day to drop off and collect their children so it might be worth contacting local businesses, such as coffee shops and dry cleaners, offering them the chance to place a banner add on your website/newsletter for a nominal fee.

• Back to the Top

In summary, it is important to put networking and collaboration at to top of your agenda and to take time out of the operational side of your business to cover the following areas:

• Develop your marketing plan

• Build and Maintain enrollment

• Maximise your website

Early Childhood Ireland Business Support Programme

Early Childhood Ireland is looking at producing a Childcare Business Support Programme and to help us tailor this initiative to your requirements, we would like to hear your views on what areas you would most like to see addressed.

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• Back to the Top

Irene Gunning CEO and Teresa  COO recently met with the Minister Phil Hogan from the Department  of the Environment, to discuss  commercial rates on childcare facilities.

Minister Hogan agreed to investigate the classification of properties under the 1970 Act as there may be scope therein for Minister Hogan himself to reclassify early childhood care and education services.

Reclassification under the 1970 Act could give  Minister Hogan the facility to instruct  a waiver  for early childhood care and education services.

Minister Hogan advised Early Childhood Ireland to get legal Advice on the Heads of  the new Valuation Bill which has been recently published by Minister Howlin. Early Childhood Ireland agreed to get our own legal advice and to follow up thereafter with the Minister.

Before ending the Meeting Early Childhood Ireland also addressed the issue about potential planning issues arising from the revised ratios for the Free Pre School Year. Minister Hogan agreed to discuss this with Minister Fitzgerald and the HSE . He agreed to consider issuing a guidance from his Department to local planning authorities instructing a waiver on any requirement for revised planning permissions arising from the Free Pre School Year ratio changes.

We will continue to keep members fully updated on these important issues.

Irene Gunning CEO and Teresa COO, pictured with Minister Phil Hogan at a recent meeting in the Department of the Environment.

In Ireland, the 2010 Heritage Council’s Wild Child Poll highlighted a decrease in children’s use of wild space,
woods and street play compared to their parents childhood.

In almost a generation outdoor play has practically disappeared from our streets, due to a combination of factors such as heavy traffic on roads, busy scheduled lives, over-reliance on technology for recreation and fears for children’s safety (IPPA 2006).

One of the consequences of this increasingly sedentary, indoor
lifestyle is the effect it is having on children’s health, especially with regard to what has been called the ‘modern epidemic’ of obesity (Moss,2012).

In Ireland, there has been continuous news coverage recently of the alarming growth of  obesity in Irish children from the latest results from the ongoing ‘Growing up in Ireland’ study which showed that 26% of nine-year-olds in Ireland are either overweight or obese.

So how can we help to alleviate this problem – let’s go outside and play!

Outdoor play is a simple solution to overcoming the increase in nature-deficit disorder coined by Richard Louv  in his book Last Child in the Woods (2005), by encouraging children to go outside and spend time in their natural environment, while also tackling the growing problem of child obesity.

Play and the outdoors fit very well together as the outdoors has
been our playground and classroom for hundreds of thousands
of years, and playing in the outdoors has been the way through
which we’ve learned .Science has shown us how our ability to play
has given us the chance to explore and manipulate our environment, and to develop as a species (IPPA 2006)

Outdoor play is one of the best learning environments for young children, providing exploration and discovery of one’s self, of others, and of the environment on a grand scale. Children learn through play, movement, communication, and sensory experience which the outdoors provides for on a much greater scale than indoors.

Children who play outside are also less likely to get sick, to be stressed or become aggressive, and are more adaptable to life’s unpredictable turns (Louv,2005)

Early Childhood Ireland has some fantastic ideas on providing a great outdoor space  to help increase the enjoyment for children playing outdoors, and to support the curriculum and programme for learning.

There are also some wonderful examples of  outdoor play experiences in our member’s learning stories and innovation awards, which can be viewed on the Early Childhood Ireland website

Early Childhood Ireland will also be publishing a fantastic Outdoor Play Publication based on the ‘Garden of Possibilities ‘ that we installed in Bloom 2010, with links to Aistear and Siolta, so keep an eye on our website!

Early Childhood Ireland met with Minister Phil Hogan to discuss  commercial rates on childcare facilities

Irene Gunning CEO and Teresa  COO recently met with the Minister Phil Hogan from the Department  of the Environment, to discuss  commercial rates on childcare facilities.

Minister Hogan agreed to investigate the classification of properties under the 1970 Act as there may be scope therein for Minister Hogan himself to reclassify early childhood care and education services.

Before ending the Meeting Early Childhood Ireland also addressed the issue about potential planning issues arising from the revised ratios for the Free Pre School Year. Minister Hogan agreed to discuss this with Minister Fitzgerald and the HSE .

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Minister Fitzgerald announces Early Years Expert Group who will advise on Irelands first-ever Early Years Strategy

Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister for Children & Youth Affairs has announced details of the establishment of an Expert Group to advise on the preparation of Irelands first-ever Early Years Strategy. Preparation of this Strategy was recently agreed by Government.

Minister Fitzgerald today addressed the National Conference of Early Childhood Ireland and also launched National Childminding Week 2012, organised by Childminding Ireland.

 
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Update on Changes to the ECCE Scheme

At the Early Childhood Ireland 2012 Conference in the RDS, there was much discussion about possible changes to the Free Pre School Year in  September, on foot of the changes announced in the Budget.

Since the Conference Early Childhood Ireland has been negotiating these changes with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and specifically we have been advocating for…..

 
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‘Free preschool has to be backed by strong political will’

The sustainability of the free preschool scheme was high on the agenda for the 250 delegates attending our conference “Leading the Way in Early Childhood Care & Education” in the RDS over the weekend.

‘As the representative group for 80 per cent of preschools, daycare, parent & toddler and after school services, we are calling for an additional €5 million budget to maintain the free preschool scheme to deal with Ireland’s baby boom.  While our members were somewhat reassured by the Minister for Children’s comments that the free preschool year is here to stay, this has got to be backed up by strong political will to keep this scheme free and universal.’ Irene Gunning, CEO of Early Childhood Ireland

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We must help lone parents and invest in the critical early years of learning

We’ve got to get our children off to the best possible start. Childcare is a critical issue, which must be higher on the government agenda.

Early Childhood Ireland welcomes the announcement from the Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald, of a new expert group to advise on Ireland’s first Early Years Strategy. I look forward to playing my part on that group, chaired by Dr Eilis Hennessy, School of Psychology, UCD.

Our conference was an opportunity to debate the issues around early-years education. One issue of concern was the proposed social welfare changes that could see lone-parent payments being stopped when the youngest child is seven.

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Irene Gunning joined Newstalk Global Village radio Saturday 21/4 to speak about services for children.