Featured News

Dear Service Provider,

The date that applications will close for Programme Support Payments has now been extended to next Friday, 2nd July at 5pm.

The PSP application is completed on the Programmes page of the Early Years Hive.

A ‘Quick Guide’ including screen shots explaining how to apply through the Hive can be found here. Providers also can watch a video here showing how to apply.

If you have any issues or questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Early Years Provider Centre by raising a Request Hive using the following categories

• Request Type: Programme Readiness
• Request Type Detail: PSP 2021
• Request Programme: Hive

or on (01) 511 7222, as under no circumstances will late applications be accepted.

Early Years Team

Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Aged Care (SAC) childcare providers must be registered with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency as a prescribed
early years service. A childcare provider who provides both early learning and care and school age childcare must have a valid Tusla registration for both service types.

We are aware that for some services your ability to verify registrations and complete certain processes with Tusla has been impacted by the recent attack on the HSE IT system.

For this reason the following arrangements have been put in place;

• Service Providers without a Tusla certificate can use other evidence of registration with Tusla to on-board and to sign funding agreements. E.g. Email confirmation of registration from Tusla.
• Service Providers not registered for either ELC or SAC with Tusla will not be permitted to on-board.
• Full time services with ELC Tusla certification whose service offering includes school aged childcare, but who have not yet been registered as an SAC provider will as an exceptional and temporary measure be allowed to sign funding agreements and to register children. Please note that proof of Tusla SAC registration will be requested later in the year once the current system issues are resolved. Any service providers that cannot provide a certificate at this point will be required to deregister all school aged children from their services and funding will cease for these children on all schemes. Providers will be given 4 weeks notice of the requirement to de-register. Providers are strongly advised to pursue the registration process with Tusla to ensure this measure is not required.
• Service Providers that are registered with Tusla but have not yet received this confirmation or proof of registration due to the IT shutdown should contact the Early Years Provider Centre in Pobal on 01-5117222 or by raising a service request through the Early Years Hive and selecting the category “User Account Management” and the sub-category “Tusla”.

New service providers or services that have gone through a change of circumstances can continue to apply to Tusla for registration, however as the Tusla portal is unavailable, a form will be made available on the Tusla website in the coming weeks. For re-registrations Tusla will contact providers directly and ask them to submit relevant documentation by post or email. These services will be unable to on-board until the Tusla process is complete

Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English TD, has formally accepted the recommendation of the Labour Court for
the establishment of a Joint Labour Committee (JLC) for the Early Years’ Service sector.

Giving effect to this recommendation, the Minister has today (Monday 21 June) signed an establishment order that shall come into effect on 1 July 2021.

Minister English said:

"I welcome the recommendation of the Labour Court and I am happy to announce the establishment of this new Joint Labour Committee which fulfils the Programme for Government commitment to support the establishment of a JLC in the childcare sector."

JLC’s provide a wage-setting mechanism that determines terms and conditions of employment, as well as setting minimum rates of pay for workers in certain sectors. In the sectors represented, the terms and conditions may be given effect in law by means of Employment Regulation Orders made by the Minister.

Minister English added:

"I would encourage bodies representing both employers and employees in this sector to engage with the JLC process as it can yield positive benefits for the sector as a whole. An agreement on a new set of terms and conditions of employment will help maintain and grow the talented pool of people working in the sector as well as providing security and opportunity for career development in the Early Years’ and Childcare sectors."

This JLC resulted from collaboration with Childhood Services Ireland, SIPTU, and the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), Roderic O’Gorman TD, who initiated the process and appointed Dr Kevin Duffy, the former Chair of the Labour Court as the independent chair of this process. Dr Duffy concluded that all parties involved agreed that the establishment of a JLC is the most appropriate means by which pay and conditions of employment in the sector can be addressed.

Minister O'Gorman said:

"I'm delighted to see progress being made on the establishment of the Joint Labour Committee. Those working in early learning and childcare services deserve recognition for the hugely important work they do and the benefits their work brings for children, families and society. COVID-19 has reinforced just how essential these services are. High-quality early learning and childcare depends on a well-qualified workforce that is supported and valued. More favourable wages and working conditions are necessary to attract and retain qualified staff. The government is committed to supporting this through the JLC process and through major projects underway in my department to develop a new funding model and a new workforce development plan for this sector."

Providers are reminded that the Programme Support Payments (PSP) 2021 will close for applications this coming Friday, 25th June at 5pm.

The PSP application is completed on the Programmes page of the Early Years Hive.

A ‘Quick Guide’ including screen shots explaining how to apply through the Hive can be found here. Providers also can watch a video here showing how to apply.

If you have any issues or questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Early Years Provider Centre by raising a Request Hive using the below categories or on (01) 511 7222, as under no circumstances will late applications be accepted.

• Request Type: Programme Readiness
• Request Type Detail: PSP 2021
• Request Programme: Hive

The deadline for submitting this year’s Early Years Service Profile and Income and Costs Survey is 5pm today, Friday 18th June. 

Your response to these surveys in 2021 is more important than ever given the challenges the pandemic has presented for ELC/SAC services. The information you provide will be essential to assess the impact of the pandemic on the sector and to inform future policy development and funding decisions.

Pobal and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth appreciate you taking the time to complete these surveys.

Where on the Hive:
You can access both the Annual Early Years Service Profile and Income and Costs Survey by going to My Account > Surveys on the Hive.
You will also find a guideline document available for both these surveys in the Useful Links section of Hive.

Completing the Surveys:
Surveys should be completed for each facility i.e. one for each DCEDIY reference number (DCYA Reference number).

How long will it take to complete the surveys?
The length of time it takes to complete the survey depends on the size of the service, the number of staff and number of children enrolled. The Annual Early Years Service Profile is expected to take around one hour. The Income and Costs Survey is expected to take 15-20 minutes. The survey will save so you can complete it in more than one sitting before final submission.

Can I complete the service profile through Irish?
Yes. We are delighted to introduce this option for the first time for services operating in Irish.
The Survey on Income and Costs can also be completed in Irish.

Who can we contact for assistance?
If you experience any difficulties accessing or completing either survey, please log a request through the Early Years

Hive using the following categories:
• Request type: EY Service Profile
• Request type details: EY Service Profile
• Request Programme: EY Service Profile.