Parents Corner
Early Childhood Curriculum
Our Pre-School follows the Aistear and Siolta Framework.
Aistear:
The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework for children from birth to six years in Ireland. It describes learning and development through four interconnected themes – well-being, identity & belonging, communicating and exploring & thinking.
Siolta:
Focuses on all facets of quality within ECCE setting including learning and development.
ECCE Scheme
The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme provides early childhood care and education for children of pre-school age.
Children can start ECCE when they are 2 years and 8 months of age and continue until they transfer to primary school (provided that they are not older than 5 years and 6 months at the end of the pre-school year)
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Enrolment.
Our waiting list is not necessarily operated on a first come basis.
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Parents can place their child on our waiting list at the pre-natal stage if they wish to, but places will not be allocated according to the length of time their child’s name is on the list in the first place, but whether a place is available in the appropriate age group.
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Priority will be given to those children who have siblings already at Small Steps.
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Priority will be given to children requiring full-time rather than part-time care, when full-time places are available.
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We request a deposit €50 to secure places.
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Food & Nutrition
We use meal and snack time to give the children an opportunity to explore new foods and to enjoy the social aspect of eating. We provide a variety of balanced and nutritious meals. Our Chef prepares nutritious and healthy meals each day in the premises, including freshly baked bread, scones, hot meals.
Example Menu
Breakfast: 8am-9am: Cereal, toast, milk or water
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Morning Snack: 10.30am: Fresh fruit daily. Homemade scones, blueberry muffins, banana bread, yogurts, homemade pancakes, beans on toast, scrambled egg, cheese toasties. Milk or water.
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Dinner: 12.30pm: Beef stew, chicken curry, spaghetti Bolognese, fish pie, fish cakes and spaghetti hoops. Fillet ham, each consisting of fresh vegetables. Milk or water.
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Evening snack: soup & crusty bread, crackers and cheese, selection sandwiches, yoghurts, brown bread and jam, fruit. Milk or water.
