It is our aim to offer your child
- Friendly adults to talk to and support in their play.
- Reassurance, comfort and encouragement.
- The opportunity to develop independence.
- Freedom within limits.
Opportunities to
- Develop at their own pace.
- Develop awareness and self control.
- Develop respect for themselves and others.
- Develop the ability to share and take turns.
- Develop concentration.
- Learn to tidy up after themselves.
- Develop confidence in themselves.
- Have a sense of fun.
What Happens During a session?
Children engage in active learning experiences throughout the session.
Children choose, use and tidy away their own material.
Children solve problems and resolve conflicts.
Children play alone and together in small and large groups.
Adults use systematic observations to encourage children’s development and learning.
Children and adults play, talk and learn together as partners.
What are our goals?
To develop children’s ability to take the initiative and make decisions about what they are going to do and how.
To develop children’s self discipline, their ability to identify personal goals and complete self chosen tasks.
To develop children’s ability to work with other children and adults.
To develop children’s ability for self expression, so that they can use language, pictures, movement to share their experiences with others.
To develop children’s ability to apply their reasoning in a wide range of situations and using a variety of materials.
To develop children’s creativity, spirit of inquiry and openness to knowledge and other people’s point of view.
Play is how a child finds out about the world.
The Young Explorers Pre-School at Dominic’s Community Centre provides pre-school education for 2.5 to 5 year old children.
Our curriculum, which is subject to continuous review, creates a child centered, play-based environment, which empowers young children to actively pursue their own learning.
We meet Síolta Standards (National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education) and we have been verified . We provide a wide variety of equipment to promote the physical, intellectual, language, emotional, social, cultural, aesthetic and creative development of every child. The playroom is a safe, secure and loving environment where confidence, independence and self esteem are nurtured. Each child is helped to reach their full potential and is encouraged and supported to develop at their own pace.
Afterschool
Our Afterschool Service runs for 47 weeks of the year and is open from 1.30 to 6.00pm Monday to Friday. Special arrangements can be made for full day care during the school holidays and days when children are off early. We collect children from the local schools, St. Dominic’s, St Colmcille’s and Scoil Santain and walk them back to the centre where they are cared for in friendly surroundings. We participate in the CETS programme whereby a contribution to the fees is paid for by the Government while you are on a FÁS or VEC course. We also participate in the CCS scheme where the government subsidises the fees for you depending on your circumstances. Our Afterschool leader is Jackie Byrne, and if you need any further information, please contact her at 014590770.
Our Staff
Our Staff have many years experience in the area of childcare and are committed to continuous improvement. There are fully qualified staff members present at all times. All staff members holds a current First Aid Certificate
There is a ratio of one adult to every eight children with a minimum of two adults present at any one time. The maximum number of children in any session is 20. We have ‘state of the art’ facilities including playrooms, nappy changing and outdoor areas. The age group we cater for is 2.5 to 5 years.
We offer two sessions per day. Session 1 opens from 9.10 a.m. to 12.45 p.m. and session 2 opens from 1.00p.m. to 4.35p.m. Monday to Friday.
During the summer months, we offer a Summer Camp for 3 to 6 year old children on a weekly book-in basis. Details available on request.
We offer an afterschool service from 1.30 – 5.30 where we can pick up your child from local schools and care for him/her in friendly surroundings.
Fees
We offer an affordable, tiered fee system which ranges from €38 on Band A to €85.50 on Band D. Information available on request.
Free year
There is a limited number of free-preschool places to eligible children (aged between 3 years 2 months and 4 years 7 months on September 1st Academic Year). Early enrolment is advisable.
For further information please contact Eileen Keogh at the Centre on 4590770
Aistear - Early Childhood Curriculum Framework
The framework focuses on your child’s learning. Our staff will work with you in order to get to know your child well. They will create a learning programme that builds on your child’s interests and abilities and keep you in touch with your child’s progress. Through the Aistear framework’s four learning goals our trained staff will assist your child to develop:
- Identity and Belonging
- Well-being
- Exploring and Thinking
- Communicating skills
We will observe your child’s learning by listening, watching and talking to him / her. We will use photos and keep a folder of your child’s work to show what your child is learning.
Working Together
By working together, parents and staff can enhance a child’s learning and well-being. As the most important person in your child’s life you can make a difference by talking regularly with our staff and asking about your child’s learning. The information you provide allows us to link your child’s experiences at home with the time they spend in the preschool.
