Dear Service Provider, 
Many thanks to all the service providers for their attendance at the CCSP Savers, ECCE, & AIM Level 1 Programme Readiness 1 webinars held recently.
A recording is now available under ‘Recorded webinars’ in the Training Videos section on the Hive.
A copy of the PowerPoint slides used during the trainings and a document containing answers to questions asked during these webinars are also available here.
Regards,
The Early Years Team
Dear Service Provider, 
Core Funding – Review and Confirm Reminder
This is a reminder the Review and Confirm window is open until Monday 12 June inclusive. If a Partner Service does not complete the Review and Confirm process within the required timeframe, Core Funding payments will be placed on hold until such a time as the process is completed.
Please note, the late submission of a Review and Confirm form noting a decrease to the base rate value will be effective from the change effective date rather than the last day of the review and confirm window.
Preparing for Review and Confirm
Core Funding applications/application changes must be at an Approved status prior to completing the Review and Confirm form.
If your previous application/application change is at ‘Approved’ and you have an application change at a ‘Draft’ status you must abandon the draft application prior to completing the Review and Confirm form.
If an application is at ‘Referred back’ Service Providers are required to submit an application change to rectify the refer back reason outlined. Once the application change is approved, you must then proceed to complete the Review & Confirm form.
To support services in completing a Review & Confirm form, a detailed guidance document and tailored training videos are available here.
Core Funding Programme 2023/24
Partner services who have completed the June Review and Confirm process will be able to transfer their most recent Core Funding application data into their new Core Funding application for the 2023/24 programme year. Therefore, partner services are encouraged to complete the June Review and Confirm process as soon as possible within the specified timeframe.
Further information on the Core Funding application process for the 2023/24 programme year will be available in the coming weeks.
Best wishes,
The Early Years Team
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on 8 June 2023
Last updated on 7 June 2023 
Roderic O’ Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, together with Heather Humphreys, Minister for Rural and Community Development, today launched #MyLittleLibrary2023. This initiative, funded through Dormant Accounts Funding, offers a free book bag with storybooks for children and supportive information for parents for all children starting school in September 2023.
The aim of the initiative is that all children will start school with storybooks in their homes and as members of their local library.
This year’s initiative builds on the success of My Little Library 2022 when over 46,000 book bags were distributed to children starting school, in their local library. The initiative resulted in over 37,000, 4 and 5-year-old children joining the library.
Speaking today about My Little Library 2023, Minister O’Gorman said:
“I am delighted to announce the second year of the First 5 – My Little Library book bag for all the boys and girls leaving pre-school and starting school later this year. I hope that all the families with children starting school will visit their local library and pick up their My Little Library book bag and join the library for a lifetime of stories and reading.
“Thanks to our wonderful libraries across the country for partnering with us on this important initiative.”
Minister Humphreys added:
“It is great to see the My Little Library initiative go from strength to strength with the support of the library service. Parents signing their children up as library members are giving them a gift that will last a lifetime.”
Monaghan County Librarian and Chair of the Public Library National Strategic Programmes Committee, Catherine Elliott said:
“Local authority public libraries are delighted to be delivering the My Little Library Book Bag initiative for the second year.
“We look forward to welcoming all of the 4 and 5-year-old children starting school and their families in to collect their book bags and discover the benefits of library membership. Reading is so important for personal development and supporting children as they grow.
“We hope that our new cohort of library members and their families will come back regularly to refill their book bags and take part in all the events and activities we have on offer at the library”.
The First 5 Little Library Initiative 2023 will:
Provide a First 5 - My Little Library book bag to every child starting school in September for collection in libraries across the country.
Offer free library membership, with a specially designed Little Library card wallet, for the children.
Encourage free membership and use of the library to all children and adults in the family.
Include information for parents in each bag to support children prepare for the next stage of their learning journey.
Offer book bags in Irish and English.
The First 5 Little Library Initiative is funded under Dormant Accounts Funding. It delivers on one of the many actions under First 5: the whole-of-Government strategy to improve the lives of babies, young children, and their families. This ten-year plan aims to ensure all children in Ireland have positive early experiences and get a great start in life. Find out more at https://first5.gov.ie/about-first-5
Dear Service Provider,
Core Funding – Review and Confirm Reminder
This is a reminder the Review and Confirm window is open until Monday 12 June inclusive. If a Partner Service does not complete the Review and Confirm process within the required timeframe, Core Funding payments will be placed on hold until such a time as the process is completed.
Please note, the late submission of a Review and Confirm form noting a decrease to the base rate value will be effective from the change effective date rather than the last day of the review and confirm window.
Preparing for Review and Confirm
Core Funding applications/application changes must be at an Approved status prior to completing the Review and Confirm form.
If your previous application/application change is at ‘Approved’ and you have an application change at a ‘Draft’ status you must abandon the draft application prior to completing the Review and Confirm form.
If an application is at ‘Referred back’ Service Providers are required to submit an application change to rectify the refer back reason outlined. Once the application change is approved, you must then proceed to complete the Review & Confirm form.
To support services in completing a Review & Confirm form, a detailed guidance document and tailored training videos are available here.
Core Funding Programme 2023/24
Partner services who have completed the June Review and Confirm process will be able to transfer their most recent Core Funding application data into their new Core Funding application for the 2023/24 programme year. Therefore, partner services are encouraged to complete the June Review and Confirm process as soon as possible within the specified timeframe.
Further information on the Core Funding application process for the 2023/24 programme year will be available in the coming weeks.
Best wishes,
The Early Years Team
💢Childminders 
📣Calling new, existing and potential childminders to a network meeting.
Introduction to Aistear, Curriculum Framework for Children from birth to six years in Ireland.
Family Resource Centre. Arden View, Tullamore.
19th June 7pm – 8:30pm
This information session will focus on Aistear, which is the curriculum framework for children from birth to six years in Ireland.
Aistear describes the types of learning that are important for children and the exciting opportunities for supporting children’s learning and development that happen in everyday activities.
During the session we will consider ideas and practical suggestions to help you use Aistear to support children’s learning and holistic development. We will also discuss practical examples of how you can use Aistear to build on and extend the work you are already doing with the children in your childminding setting.
📱💻🖥Book your place on Eventbrite 👇
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/childminders-network-meeting-aistear-for-childminders-tickets-648188959627
Please contact Siobhán for a booking reference number on 057 913 5878 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. on Wednesday's, Thursday's and Friday's.
The document provides support and advice on how services can meet the requirements of the Early Years Regulations in an outdoor environment.
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on 1 June 2023
Last updated on 1 June 2023
The Garden is the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth’s inaugural gardenGarden designed by children for children to promote the importance of outdoor playThe Garden achieved overall ‘Gold Medal’, ‘Best in Category – Large Garden’ and ‘Best Planting’. 
Oliver Schumann - Designer and Paula Crilly and Bernadetta Laboni from Mount Venus Nursery
Following a rigorous two-day judging process by a panel of independent expert judges, a garden designed by children for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has won three prestigious awards at this year’s Bord Bia Bloom Festival.
The purpose of the garden is to promote the importance of outdoor play for a child’s learning and development, demonstrate the benefit of consulting young children on matters affecting them and to raise awareness of First 5: the whole-of-Government strategy to improve the lives of babies, young children and their families.
Minister Roderic O’Gorman said today
“I am delighted that my Department has won a medal for its First 5 Garden of Wonder and Discovery. I would like to congratulate garden designers Oliver and Liat Schurman and the 20 pre-school children from Creative Kids & Co in Walkinstown with whom they collaborated with on the design of this garden. The final garden design – a natural and untouched woodland - shows that children are the real experts in their lives.
"I would encourage anyone visiting the Phoenix Park this Bank Holiday weekend to see this for yourself. I would also encourage parents to visit the National Childcare Scheme stall in the Budding Bloomers section this weekend to find out more this Scheme and the benefits it can bring to their families.”
The award-winning garden was co-designed with young children. The Educators from Creative Kids & Co in Walkinstown, Dublin, supported 20 pre-schoolers to participate in the development of the garden with the garden designers Oliver and Liat Schurmann.
This process followed the Participation Framework championed by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The Framework is based on the child-rights model of participation developed by Professor Laura Lundy, Queens University, which provides guidance for decision-makers on the steps to take in giving children and young people a meaningful voice in decision-making.
First 5
First 5 is the whole-of-Government strategy to improve the lives of babies, young children and their families. This ten-year plan aims to ensure all children in Ireland have positive early experiences and get a great start in life. Find out more here.
The National Childcare Scheme is one of a number of schemes under Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare that also includes the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) and the Core Funding Scheme. The new funding model is being backed by record levels of State investment in early learning and childcare – which will for the first time exceed €1 billion this year.
Visit the First 5 Garden of Wonder and Discovery at the Show Garden Section and the National Childcare Scheme Stall in the Budding Bloomers Section and meet Department staff to talk about the importance of outdoor play and how the Department of Children is enhancing the lives of children and recognising diversity and promoting equality of opportunity.
The First 5 Garden funded by Dormant Accounts Funding.
