Support Point Advocacy

Support Point is Early Childhood Ireland’s dedicated phone line and email for member queries. We answer members’ queries on HR, regulations, funding programmes, compliance, policies & procedures and lots more.

Many of our members have told us that Support Point is an invaluable source of information for them. Support Point is also an invaluable source of information for Early Childhood Ireland. Through calls and emails from our members we are better able to understand the issues on the ground and advocate on behalf of the sector.

Last year our Support Point team received close to 2,000 queries. The highest number of queries related the DCYA early years funding programmes: ECCE, CCS(P), TEC and the capital funding programmes.

Our Support Point team are able to answer most of the common funding queries immediately but sometimes we contact Pobal, who administer the DCYA early years funding programmes, to find an answer. Through our contact with staff in Pobal we are able to alert Pobal to issues as they emerge and provide detailed and current information to our wider membership

We compile the most common queries coming in from members and provide comprehensive information on these topics in our weekly newsletter Early Times Weekly, on our website and in our quarterly magazine Early Times.

To give you a sense of the information that flows from our engagements with Pobal we have assembled below the funding-related updates from our Support Point series in Early Times Weekly since the beginning of 2018.

The Support Point team understands the importance of being able to talk through issues and being able to easily access reliable information. We are available to members Monday to Friday 9am-5pm to provide a listening ear and assist with any questions you may have. Call Support Point on (01) 4040681 or email supportpoint@earlychildhoodireland.ie.

Support Point Updates

Support Point Update 27th March 2018

https://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/support-point-update-27th-march-2018/

Support Point Question of the Week:

Will the non-contact payment be paid to ECCE services this year?

Yes, the non-contact payment will be paid this year to ECCE services. The exact date is not finalised yet but it is anticipated that it will follow a similar timeline to last year – services had to apply for the non-contact payment in June and were paid in July. There will be updates on PIP in the coming weeks.

Support Point Update 6th March 2018

https://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/support-point-update-6th-march-2018/

Series: Capital Grants 2018

Integrating Practice
In the final instalment of our series on Capital Grants we ask you to imagine from a child’s perspective how you can create a beautiful, warm welcoming space. ‘The physical environment impacts directly on the quality of practice’ (Julia Manning Morton). If successful with the Capital Grant for your service you have an opportunity to improve the experience young children have in your setting. Consider how a child needs a place for bursts of energy in the service and then to relax. Create distinct activity zones including quiet areas and areas for activity. When considering children’s interests think about whether there is enough equipment for each child, particularly for very young children who have not yet developed the ability to share.

Consult and involve your staff in your design and plans for this funding. It is important to ensure that your service is adult friendly also. This can help bridge the gap between the home and setting environment.

We include a number of links to resources that will help you consider how to create a positive experience for children in your service whatever their stage of sensory and motor development:

My Space (UK Resource)
Outdoor Play Facebook page
The Baby Room (ECI publication)
Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder (ECI Blog)
Aistear Síolta Practice Guide

Please note the Capital Grant 2018 application deadline has been extended to Wednesday 14th March at 3pm.

Support point Update 27th Feb 2018

https://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/support-point-update-27th-feb-2018/

You are required to follow procurement guidelines if successful with your capital grant application. However, you only need to submit one quote to Pobal. The following guide is an overview of the procedure you should follow depending on the amount you are applying for:

Further information on public procurement can be found here.

Support Point Update 20th Feb 2018

https://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/support-point-update-20th-feb-2018/

Support Point Series: Capital Grants 2018

Planning permission

As mentioned last week in our series on the Capital Grants 2018, you will need to show evidence of appropriate planning for any works you will be undertaking. While you do not have to have planning in place by the application deadline, you will have to show that you have started the process by providing the planning number that you receive when you apply for it and the expected date by which it will be granted.

You should also check what your planning status is to see whether there are any conditions attached, for example was there a retention on your original planning permission? Confirm the number of children that you have planning for. For example, if you have permission for 11 children and now have 16 children you will have to apply for a retention before you can apply for an additional 11 children.

If there were any conditions attached be sure that you have full permission for the next 3 years as you will have to have it for the 3 years required in this fund.

Lease agreement

If you do not own your premises you will have to prove that you have agreed to operate from these premises for the next 3 years. Download the Owners Permission Template and the Lease Agreement Template from PIP and submit the completed form, signed by the landlord, stating you have permission to make the changes applied for and to operate until 2021.

Conflict of Interest

Following the national procurement guidelines the person carrying out the works must not be related to you.  Pobal will be checking this when they process the successful grants.

We will have a piece on procurement guidelines in next week’s Support Point Update.

Support Point Update 13th Feb 2018

https://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/support-point-update-13th-feb-2018/

Pobal Capital Grants for 2018: Demonstration of Need
The Early Years and School Aged Childcare Capital Grants opened for applications on the 12th February 2018. The application form can be accessed on PIP.

The Capital Grants funding is highly competitive. In order to give your application the best chance of success you need to clearly set out your case for funding, detailing how your application meets the priorities set out in the guidance notes.

Describe your planned project in simple language, setting out clearly what you want to do, why you want to do it and how that will lead to a positive impact on children in your service and the local community. Read the guidelines for the strand you wish to submit an application under and make sure your project fits.

Using independent documentary evidence can really enhance your application and add weight to your application. This is particularly relevant for the strands of funding for development, expansion or relocation of a service. Look at relevant information from Pobal maps, census data, your local County Childcare Committee and your local schools to see if there is a need for a service in the area or demand for your service to expand. Other information to consider is new housing developments in the area, a lack of nearby services and waiting lists for places.

For example, a demonstration of need may be that you are in a satellite town of a big city with a young population. The local schools expect an increase in children in the coming years. You are the only service in the area and need to expand to meet the need in the area.

If you are applying for Strand 3 you could include evidence of how upgrading your existing outdoor area to a natural outdoor play space will positively impact on children’s well-being and development and how you will use this space to deliver the Aistear Síolta curriculum.

When reviewing your application, imagine you are reading it from the point of view of someone who has never been to your service. Is it clear what you want to do and why? Remember to keep it simple and check that you are applying under the relevant strand.

Support Point Update 6th February 2018

https://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/support-point-update-6th-february-2018/

Support Point Series: Early Years and School Age Capital Grants 2018

Pobal Capital Grants for 2018: Planning Permission

Regardless of which strand you are applying for under the Capital Grants 2018 you will need to demonstrate that you have considered whether you need planning permission for the changes you would like to make to your facilities.  When completing the application form, you will be required to provide either:

• A planning permission number from your local authority
• A planning permission decision date
• Or an explanation why planning is not required.

If you do not need planning for your application you will need to include any documentation from your local authority, architect, engineer or relevant professional to confirm planning is not required. Information on planning regulations, planning applications and guidance notes on the process are available from the planning section of your local County Council. You will need to get planning permission to develop a childcare facility in a purpose-built structure or changing the use of any existing structure to comply with building legislation.  When completing your planning application consider whether there are any new housing developments, large centres of employment, schools and public transport in the area.

If you do not own the premises where your early years’ service and/or school age service is located or where you plan to relocate, you will need to show that you have permission from the owner to carry out improvements. An “Owner’s Permission Template” is available from the Pobal website, which will need to be signed by the owner and included with the online application form. 

Support Point Update 30th January 2018

https://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/support-point-update-30th-january-2018/

Support Point Series:

Early Years and School Age Capital Grants 2018

Pobal will shortly be announcing details of the Capital Grants for 2018. We will be bringing you information and guidance on completing an application over the coming weeks. Funding will be available under the following 5 strands:

The application process and further information will be available on PIP in the coming weeks.

Support Point Update 16th January 2018

https://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/support-point-update-16th-january-2018/

HR Topic of the Week: Salary Scale

A number of calls this week related to salary scales for early years staff, as managers wanted to check they were paying their staff in line with national averages. There is no salary scale in the early years sector currently.  Early Childhood Ireland published research in 2016 detailing rates of pay according to qualification, role and geographical location.  Please click here for the full report. Pobal included information on wages in the Early Years Sector Report 2016/2017 for the first time. This report found that the average hourly wage of staff working in the early years sector is €11.93.  This national figure varies according to a number of factors including location of service, staff role, seniority within the service, qualification, length of time in service among others. The Pobal report provides information on how wages vary across the country. This information is not what we are recommending for staff wages but just what the average wage is across the country.