From September 2015 all staff in early years services will need to have a full Level 5 qualification and all Preschool (ECCE) Room Leaders will need a full Level 6 qualification.
If you are due to retire from working in the early years care sector within the next seven years, you can apply for an exemption from the Level 5 qualification. Exemptions only apply to Level 5, not to the Level 6 qualification requirement. Arrangements for the exemption for Level 5 will be announced at a later date.
Early Childhood Ireland believes that the twin aims of training in early childhood care and education (ECCE) are to:
-
enrich the daily experiences of children and families availing of childcare services
-
to support professional development of the childcare workforce
We aim to ensure that those working with children have the best possible training, qualifications, support and advice.
____________________________________________________________________________
Also in this section:
- In this section we offer an overview of the benefits of acquiring qualifications
- as well as providing information to assist you in choosing the course that is right for you.
____________________________________________________________________________
Higher Capitation Eligibility
A higher capitation fee is payable to pre-school service providers where all pre-school leaders delivering the pre-school service hold a bachelor degree in childhood/early education (minimum of Level 7 on the NFQ or equivalent) and have three years of experience working in the sector, and where all pre-school assistants in the service hold a relevant major award in childcare/early education at level 5 on the NFQ or its equivalent.
To apply for Higher Capitation you will need apply to the DCYA by downloading ECCE form 10 – Application for Higher Capitation from the DCYA website.
Not all Level 7 or 8 awards are acceptable as qualifying for the higher capitation fee. In order for an award to qualify, it must include significant content in core knowledge areas such as child development 0-6 years and early childhood education theory and practice. For example, secondary school teaching qualifications are not acceptable as they do not cover these core knowledge areas.
As with lower level awards, international awards at higher level may be recognised as meeting the qualification criteria. The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland can advise on the equivalent level of the award on the Irish NFQ (www.qualrec.ie). However, the Childcare Directorate reserves the right to determine the relevance of the content of the award.
It is stressed that the higher qualified staff attracting the higher capitation rate must work directly with the children at all times during the ECCE sessions. If this rule is not observed, services are in breach of their contractual obligations, and will lose the higher capitation rate.
The Department of Children and Youth Affairs has issued information in regard to Montessori Qualifications and the ECCE scheme.
