Dublin City Childcare Committee

14/09/2026

Communication from the ELC and SAC Division

Sep 2026

Learner Fund 2026


Application Window Now Open for 2026 Learner Fund Graduate and Childminder Bursary



The 2026 Learner Fund Graduate and Childminder Bursary is open for applications between Monday 14th September and 5pm on Friday 9th October 2026.



To receive an application form, please contact your local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC). Completed applications must be received within the deadline by your local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) who will process applications, for appraisal by the DCDE.



The rules for the Graduate Bursary and the Childminder Bursary are set out below.



The Learner Fund Bursary amount for 2026 will remain set at €1000.



For 2026, the Learner Fund Graduate Bursary is open to Early Learning and Care practitioners who fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

have graduated in 2024, 2025 or 2026 only;
have graduated with a Quality Advisory Board (QAB) approved Early Learning and Care Degree Programme at Level 7 or 8 only. The list can be viewed here: 20260409_List_of_Approved_Programmes_for_Adherence_to_the_Professional_Award_Criteria_and_Guideline…
For 2026, the Learner Fund Childminder Bursary is open to childminders who fulfil the following eligibility criteria:
applicants must currently be a Tusla registered Childminding Service.
have graduated in 2024, 2025 or 2026 only;
have graduated with Level 5, or 6 award on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)
or

have graduated with a Quality Advisory Board (QAB) list of approved Early Learning and Care Degree Programmes at level 7 or 8 only. The list can be viewed here: 20260409_List_of_Approved_Programmes_for_Adherence_to_the_Professional_Award_Criteria_and_Guideline…
If demand for Learner Fund Graduate Bursary funding exceeds the available budget, policy-based selection criteria will apply, as set out in the rules of the scheme.



Completed applications for the 2026 Learner Fund Graduate and Childminder Bursary must be received by your local CCC by 5pm on Friday 9th October 2026.

14/09/2026

As you may be aware childminding-specific regulations were introduced in 2024. The regulations are now being reviewed to see how they are working in practice, and what changes might be needed.
Last chance to complete the survey, survey is closing at midnight, go to: https://www.letstalkchildminding.ie/

14/09/2026

🌈🙌Some highlights from Dublin City Childcare Committee's Irish Early Immersion Education with Gaeloideachas event! We had an amazing, interactive evening supporting the introduction of the Irish language in Early Years Services!

Special thank you to Máire Uí Mhurchú and Katie Ní Riain who facilitated this training from Gaeloideachas. 🌈🌞

When asked anonymously what participants enjoyed about this training, this is what was said:
"Loved how interactive the workshop was"
"Helped bring Irish to everyone at any level"
"Easy to use and gives confidence"
"So interesting to listen to"
And more!

Be sure to join DCCC for future trainings through our Eventbrite to participate in learning opportunities like this! We look forward to welcoming you soon!

Register for our upcoming trainings HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/10895546656?_gl=1*1civb3y*_up*MQ..*_ga*NDY0MTQ2MDY0LjE3ODkzNzc0OTE.*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3ODkzNzc0ODgkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODkzNzc1MTQkajM0JGwwJGgw&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

14/09/2026

AIM Level 7 guidance and support resources
Body
Dear Service Provider,

We know there has been a lot of information shared about the redesigned AIM Level 7 programme. To make it easier to find the help you need, we have brought together the key resources currently available on the Early Years Hive.

You don’t need to read everything at once. Use the sections below to find the information most relevant to you.

1. An overview of the redesigned programme

The resources below explain the redesigned AIM Level 7 programme and key changes:

AIM Level 7 2026/2027 programme call FAQ: Detailed answers to frequently asked questions about the different aspects of the redesigned programme. The FAQ is regularly updated as new questions arise.
https://earlyyearsportal.ncs.gov.ie/AIM-Level-7-FAQ.pdf

Support Levels for AIM Level 7 infographic: An introduction to AIM Level 7 Support Levels, including examples and information about descending hours and reviews.
https://earlyyearsportal.ncs.gov.ie/AIM-Support-Levels.pdf

Support Levels for AIM Level 7 animation: A short, animated explanation of the AIM Level 7 Support Levels and what you need to do after a Support Level has been awarded.
http://vimeo.com/1213196292/7fdee4fc49?share=copy&fl=cl&fe=ci

2. To confirm a request for AIM Level 7 support

Once a Support Level has been awarded, the below resources explain how to complete the AIM Level 7 confirmation form:

How to confirm a request for AIM Level 7 Support: A step-by-step guide on confirming the request for AIM Level 7 support
https://earlyyearsportal.ncs.gov.ie/How-to-confirm-a-request-for-AIM-Level-7-Support.pdf

Confirmation form how-to video: A video demonstration of how to confirm the request for AIM Level 7 support
http://vimeo.com/1218301415/6ce3e1c4d0?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

3. For information about capitations and allocations

The below resources explain how to view and understand your AIM Level 7 capitations and allocations:

Capitations and allocations how-to guide: Step-by-step guidance on viewing and understanding AIM Level 7 capitation and allocation information.
https://earlyyearsportal.ncs.gov.ie/How-to-view-AIM-L7-Capitations-and-allocations.pdf

Capitations and allocations how-to video: A video demonstration of how to view and understand your capitations and allocations.
http://vimeo.com/1223962316/688ef61543?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Recorded training webinar: A 30-minute training session on capitations and allocations that also provides an overview of the redesigned programme.
http://vimeo.com/1224014816/d5fe13b785?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Slides from the training webinar: A copy of the presentation slides from the training session on capitations and allocations.
https://earlyyearsportal.ncs.gov.ie/AIM-Level-7-Allocations-and-Capitations-Webinar-Slides.pdf

All of the resources above are available on the AIM Level 7 guidance page on the Early Years Hive. The programme FAQ is also available from the Better Start/AIM FAQ page.
http://earlyyearshive.ncs.gov.ie/how-to-guides/better-start-aim/better-start-aim7/
http://earlyyearshive.ncs.gov.ie/how-to-guides/better-start-aim/faq-betterstartaim/

A document containing answers to the questions asked on the capitations and allocations training will be added when available.

We want to hear from you

We would like to invite you to complete our AIM Level 7 communications survey. Your responses are completely anonymous and will help us improve future communications and stakeholder engagement.

Click here to complete the survey
http://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=NlSurpepn0iw4a4oPO1H94rgla66fUJFm_PExK48VeRUODNYSDJOT0VCVUlJUUZGSlNRMUU0SklHNi4u

Regards,
The Early Years Team

11/09/2026

🐣🍎❤Start your career working in the Early Learning and Care, School-Age Childcare or as a Childminder by visiting NurturingSkills.ie!

Further information, a suite of videos and downloadable versions of the career pack materials are available on https://www.nurturingskills.ie/career-development/starting-your-career/

Should you have any questions, or if you would like to request hard copies of the Careers Pack, please contact [email protected].

11/09/2026

🙌❤🌈Are you a parent looking for a beautiful space for your child with needs? Meet St. John of God: providing high-quality service for children with intellectual disabilities and/or global developmental delays.

If this sounds like the right care for your child, reach out to [email protected]

11/09/2026

NurturingSkills.ie

Further information, a suite of videos and downloadable versions of the career pack materials are available on https://www.nurturingskills.ie/career-development/starting-your-career/



Should you have any questions, or if you would like to request hard copies of the Careers Pack, please contact [email protected].

10/09/2026

Please see the EYI Regulatory notice 06/2026 regarding First Aid requirements in preschool services: https://www.tusla.ie/uploads/content/EYI-RN12.8_First_Aid_requirements_in_pre-school_services_.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawUPa55wZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMFo3TFloUzVrTnR5ODI1T0dzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEerUYnpQleWeJ168Z8Zqy3pX0Ln7gEU0EnK8iViyhhbmES1wyjuH6UD2DuCN8_aem__A7vgzuE2CIujX0f57QvVA

10/09/2026

09/09/2026

NCS Compliance 2026/2027 Information Sessions

Dear Service Provider,

You are invited to attend an information session on NCS Compliance 2026/2027. The sessions will be held on 15 and 16 September 2026.

In the information sessions we will cover the following:

What is a compliance inspection.
Preparing for a compliance inspection.
The inspection process
On-site
Post Inspection
Compliance Framework
Resources
We kindly ask that questions asked on the day are kept to the topic being covered.



Registration Links:

Session 1: Tuesday, 15 September, 10:30 am
a1da8b5d-e553-4fdf-8ca4-df55046f6cc0@aeae5436-a997-489f-b0e1-ae283ced47f7?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/a1da8b5d-e553-4fdf-8ca4-df55046f6cc0@aeae5436-a997-489f-b0e1-ae283ced47f7?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog

Session 2: Tuesday, 15 September, 6:30 pm
988a2a57-0c9b-4a4f-94e2-027709adc0a2@aeae5436-a997-489f-b0e1-ae283ced47f7?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog" rel="ugc" target="_blank">http://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/988a2a57-0c9b-4a4f-94e2-027709adc0a2@aeae5436-a997-489f-b0e1-ae283ced47f7?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog

Session 3: Wednesday, 16 September, 2:30 pm
2aab3458-4644-4c8d-8176-4e8926b5faed@aeae5436-a997-489f-b0e1-ae283ced47f7?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog" rel="ugc" target="_blank">http://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/2aab3458-4644-4c8d-8176-4e8926b5faed@aeae5436-a997-489f-b0e1-ae283ced47f7?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog

Please note, the content presented in all sessions will be the same.

Kind Regards,

Pobal Compliance & Early Years Teams