Childcare Options Available in Ireland

There are four main Childcare options available in Ireland – Childminders, Au Pairs, Nannies or Crèches. It is advisable to start researching your options at least 12 weeks before your preferred start date. Being 100% happy with your childcare arrangements is essential for peace of mind while you are out of the home.

Child minders:

Who are they? They provide a childcare service in their own home. A child minder may care for up to 5 children under the age of six years. They may have previous experience caring for other people’s children or caring for their own children. Some childminders are registered with Childminding Ireland or other childminding committees. Child minders offer either full time, Monday to Friday or part time – mornings, afternoons, 2 or 3 days per week. The house should be a “home from home” for the child with a warm and caring family environment where safety and hygiene is paramount. The child minder provides suitable educational activities for the child i.e: age appropriate books, educational toys, jigsaws, etc. Some arts and crafts, story time and music time may also be included as part of the weekly routine. Within a diary she may detail the events of the child’s day. In the home the childminder provides a quiet area/room for nap time during the day and the parents should discuss with her what sleeping arrangements are in place, if any. Parents should ensure that the child minder has a suitable car seat for each child and a buggy. Generally, the parents bring all bottles/solid food for the day but some child minders may provide snacks. Most childminders request that the parents provide a supply of nappies and wipes, etc.

Qualifications: It is not essential for a childminder to have Childcare qualifications. They may have gained practical “hands on” experience caring for their own children or children from other families. A childminder may decide to complete a Childcare course – FETAC Level 5 or Level 6 or a Montessori Teaching Certificate or Diploma – FETAC Level 5 or Level 6 or equivalent. However, it more common that they would complete one day workshops on children’s Nutrition, Arts and Crafts, Behaviour management, Play and development, Introduction to Paediatric First Aid and many more. These courses are run through the IPPA (the Early Childhood Organisation) and Barnardos. There is also the option of obtaining Garda Vetting through Barnardos

Costs: Child minders are self employed. The costs are generally €40 – €65 per day, per child. This depends on the child minders previous experience, relevant qualifications and the working hours required.

Sources: Childminders can be found through word of mouth, advertisements locally or on websites.

Interview tips:

- Ask for an updated CV
- Written references from previous employers – signed with the home address and landline number
- Certificates/Diplomas – if applicable
- First Aid Certificate – if applicable
- Arrange to meet in the child minders home
- First meeting – preferable without your child.
- Make sure to have a look around the house and garden – Is it child friendly? Safety/Hygiene? Sleeping area for child?
- Listen to your “gut” feeling when you meet the person
- Second meeting bring the child along – judge his/her reaction
- Before the interview prepare some questions to ask – Previous Childcare experience? Qualifications? First Aid? The plan for each day – what activities does she provide etc? Who provides food, nappies etc? How many other children does she care for? How old are they? Are the other children school going? Do drop offs and collections involve bringing my child in the car? Will my child go for a walk every day? Discuss her ideas re; Nutrition, discipline, routine, appropriate toys, etc. Does the childminder have a car seat and buggy or do we have to bring that along?
- Discuss costs and holidays-
- The parents may wish to have a formal agreement in place setting out hours, salary, terms i.e.: holiday pay, food provided or not?

It is always a good idea to allow your child time to get to know the person who will be caring for them. Once the agreement has been finalised it is advisable to drop your child to the child minders house for a few hours in the days before commencing full time. This will give everyone time to adjust to the new arrangement.

Pros:
- Childminder may be local to the family home
- The child will be meeting other children during the day
- “Home from Home” environment

Cons:

- Cost is per child
- Childminder may not have previous professional childcare experience/qualifications
- The children are not in their own home environment

Au Pairs

Who are they? They are generally young Europeans who come to Ireland to learn English. They may have some babysitting experience but limited professional childcare experience. The Au Pair lives with the family who provide room, board and pocket money. In exchange for this the Au Pair helps the mother with the children and takes care of light housework. The standard Au Pair works 25 – 30 hours per week plus up to 2 nights babysitting. She may attend English classes but this not compulsory. An Au Pair plus/Mothers help is a person who should have more experience. They work longer hours, 30 – 40 per week, plus up to 2 nights babysitting. As these candidates are more responsible they may be left in sole charge of the children while the parents are working. The average stay for an Au Pair is 6 – 9 months. The family may pay the Au Pairs return flight and/or the language classes but again this is not compulsory.

Costs: The salary/pocket money for a standard Au pair is €80 – €100 per week for 25 – 30 hours plus babysitting, paid as extra. The salary range for the Au Pair plus/Mothers Help is from €120 – €180 per week for 30 – 40 hours plus the babysitting. This depends on experience, hours required and number of children.

Sources: There are many Au Pair websites where families pay approx €40 to register and then include all their family details and job description for prospective Au Pairs to read through. The correspondence with the Au Pairs is normally by email. A phone call may be possible but this depends on the Au Pair’s level of English. Both parties will exchange photos, and the Au pair will forward a Curriculum Vitae, her personal information, age, interests, etc. When the family are comfortable that they have found the right person the flight and start date is finalised. If the family decide to register with an Au Pair agency a placement fee of approximately €500 will be charged when a suitable candidate is found.

Pros:

- Cost
- Flexibility
- A second pair of hands for the mother

Cons:

- Language barrier
- Lack of experience and qualifications
- The length of stay is normally only for 6 – 9 months

Nannies:

Who are they? They are experienced professional candidates who have chosen Childcare as their career. The candidates will have fluent English, professional experience and relevant qualifications. Professional Nannies work in the family home, some live in but the more popular option is live out. The nanny’s priority is to care for and provide educational activities for the children. The nanny will ensure that she attends baby and toddler groups, music lessons and library sessions with young children. However, she must also complete “nanny duties” which include washing, ironing and cooking for the children only. The standard working week for a nanny is 45 – 50 hours. Nannies may have a full licence and their own car and this can be very helpful for families who have children of school going age where drop offs and collections are required. Nannies are officially employed by the family and all candidates are entitled to the statutory paid holidays plus bank holidays. The contract is initially for 12 months but most nannies will stay with the same family for at least 2 years

Qualifications: In recent times many Childcare and Early Education Courses have become available in Ireland. Most of the candidates now complete Certificates, Diplomas and Degrees through various colleges and universities. These courses are completed by correspondence, part time or full time and they cover all aspects of childcare. The following are the most common qualifications:

FETAC Level 5 or 6 in Childcare

NNEB Nursery Nursing Diploma

CACHE Diploma in Childcare

B.A in Early Childhood Care and Education

FETAC Level 5 or 6 – Montessori Certificates or Diplomas

Social Care Diplomas or Degrees

Salaries/Costs: €500 – €600 gross per week – live out; €450 – €500 gross per week – live in. The exact salary will depend on the person’s experience and qualifications. The cost is not per child.

Sources: There are various sources including Nanny agencies, word of mouth, websites, and local ads.

Interviewing tips for a Nanny: The interview questions may be similar to those asked when interviewing a childminder. The parent should check the Curriculum Vitae and verbally check references. They should discuss what food the nanny will prepare, the activities she will provide and her ideas on routines and discipline. If the family require a car driver and/or a car owner this should also be discussed during the interview. The nanny interviews are normally held in the family home. If a family wishes to register with a Nanny agency the consultants will take care of the whole process, including reference checking and Garda vetting. This will give the families reassurance that the person they have chosen to care for their children has been fully vetted by a professional agency. The agency placement fees range from 10% – 14% of the gross annual salary for a placement based on a 12 month contract.

Pros:

- Children are cared for in their own home
- Qualified and experienced nanny
- Education at home
- Children’s washing, ironing and cooking is taken care of.
- Less stress for working parents

Cons:

- Cost
- Paperwork related to registering as an employer
- House hold bills increase – children at home during the day

Nanny Share:

In this situation two families working full time employ one professional nanny who cares for the children together in one location or two families working part time employ one professional nanny. The nanny works some hours/days for each family giving her a full working week.

Between them they share:

- Hours
- Salary
- Location
- Other costs

Salary/Cost: €550 – €600 gross per week. Costs are divided between the families.

Benefits: Children are based in a home environment. Nanny duties include washing, ironing and cooking for the children. Educational activities similar to the crèche are provided. Children are taken to toddler and baby groups, music groups, parks, libraries, etc.

Considerations: Families must live in the same locality. The nanny could be shared with a family member, a neighbour, another parent from your school/crèche. Holidays, location of employment, hours, salary and other terms must be decided and agreed upon between the families.

Crèches:

What are they? Most Crèche facilities are purpose built and must adhere to strict guidelines put in place by the Health Service Executive (HSE). Within the facility the rooms are divided into age groups. In the Baby room the age group is normally 3 – 12 months, some crèches have a “wobbler” room – 12 months – 2 years. The toddler room is for children aged 2 – 3 years and the Preschool/Montessori room is 3 – 5 year olds. Some facilities will offer an after-school programme for children aged 5 years +.The HSE set in place staff/children ratios for every Crèche facility to follow:

Adult/Child ratio

1:3 – 0 – 12 months

1:6 – 1 -3 year olds

1:8 – 3 – 6 year olds

The number of children in the Crèche depends on the space in the facility. All staff members caring for the children should have experience working in the field and must have completed a Childcare course (listed under the Nanny Qualifications section).When a child attends a Crèche the parents must provide a baby bag with bottles, nappies, baby wipes, change of clothes etc

The service must provide a stimulating educational environment where children are in a room with their own peer group. The experienced childcare workers will have a structure for every day – suitable activities for the age group, Imaginative play, music, circle time, arts and crafts, indoor and outdoor play. The crèche should have an outdoor play area and indoors should have a separate sleeping area and changing area. Most crèche’s have an “in house” Chef who provides healthy nutritious meals for the children. The facilities are open 51 weeks per annum and the opening hours are normally 8am – 6/6.30pm. The children may attend part time or full time. Most crèches are registered with the N.C.N.A. (National Children’s Nurseries Association) and are approved by the HSE.

Costs: €800 – €1000 per month depending on the child’s age. This is a cost per child , if a second child attends the crèche they normally offer a discount. Baby places are in high demand and are more expensive.

Sources: Word of mouth – recommendation. For information on how to choose a crèche see the NCNA website.

Pros:

- The crèche may be local to the family home
- Safe, secure and supervised environment
- Open all year
- Educational and stimulating environment
- Affordable costs
- Healthy food provided

Cons:

- Large numbers of children – sickness occurs regularly
- Stress for the parents due to child’s illness and depending on family and friends to help out
- Children are indoors most of the day
- Children out of their home every day
- Stress in the evening for parents arriving with tired children to a dark, cold home

Childminder information

www.childminding.ie

www.rollercoaster.ie;

www.gumtree.ie ,

Au Pair information

www.aupairworld.net ;

www.aupairireland.com

www.gumtree.ie

Nanny Information

Childcare Recruitment Agencies

Nanny Solutions – 018734364 www.nannysolutions.com

Belgrave Agency – 012809341 www.nanny.ie

Executive Nannies – 018731273 www.executivenannies.com

Hynes Agency – 018728170 www.hynesagency.ie

Creche information

www.ncna.ie

Written by Carol Flynn, Managing Director, Nanny Solutions www.nannysolutions.com or 018734364. We provide qualified and experienced Nannies, Maternity Nurses and Sleep trainers for families and Childcare workers and Montessori teachers for Crèches and Montessori Schools.

This article was published in the January/February edition of maternity & infant magazine, the Consumer Magazine of the Year as voted by Magazines Ireland