Child's Play Facilities and Services

We offer a wide range of care and education options. We can chat about these during your initial visit to see our nursery and after school service. We are open Monday to Friday from 7.45 to 6.00 for 51 weeks. We are closed between Christmas and the New Year.
Our after school service provides collection from 6 schools. We provide dinner and afternoon tea and homework is supervised. Full day care is provided on days off and during the holidays. A summer camp, with tours, tennis, soccer, swimming, music, Spanish classes, baking, art and craft activities, and much more is available.
Each age group have their own area. We also have a separate art and craft room with sand, water and messy play areas, and a gym room for exercise and large muscle play.
Our Montessori programme and ECCE programme have their own rooms with a separate play room for home play, dress up, block area, games and construction.
We have a large, safe outdoor play area with an astro surface which is great for active play and football. There is plenty of space for cars, bikes, playing hopscotch, skipping and running around. The toddlers have their own area with their own toys and walkers. There is a large sand house which is suitable for all ages and can be used all year round.
A shed is provided for buggy storage and an area for scooters, small bikes and trikes.
Extra curricular classes are available. These include Gymboree play and music, speech and drama with Ciara O'Byrne, Spanish and music.

Babies

Our baby room is a bright cheerful room, with separate sleep and changing rooms. Our day is centred on playing, talking, singing and having fun with your baby on the floor, on the sofa, or walking around in our arms. The babies are learning and developing through play and by watching and listening to us all the time. The staff to child ratio of 1:3 gives us time to play as well as look after their feeding and changing needs. Record sheets are completed during the day to provide parents with details of food, sleep, nappy changes and there is always time for a chat about everything else that happened that day.

Toddlers

The toddler room is spacious with plenty of room for active toddlers. It has floor to ceiling glass giving the children a view of the outdoor area. This room leads directly to the enclosed toddler outdoor play area. It also has access to the art and craft room which has sand and water play tables and is used for messy play. The gym room is also enjoyed by the toddlers, especially on rainy days. Play is essential to your toddler's development. Through various types of play your child is learning and enjoying the day. This includes pretend play, creative play, games, physical and outdoor play, and language play, which includes nursery rhymes, stories, sounds, and puppets. The staff to child ratio of 1:5 allows us to tailor the day activities to the different needs within the group. A small group can paint in the messy area while allowing another more active group to visit the gym room. A series of themes are used as the basis for play and learning throughout the nursery. Each group participates in the theme adapting it to the age and ability of the group. It is flexible and will promote learning and the activities will meet the developmental needs of the children.

Pre School

Experiencing different types of play is the key activity for children in this age group. Their day revolves around building relationships, being creative, thinking and planning, reading, writing, learning about numbers, using small and large muscles, and using language for pretend play roles, rhymes, songs, and for organising their games. We facilitate this by providing different play and work rooms and a series of themes are used to plan the activities and learning experiences. The children will spend time in each area:

  • The play room has home corner, pretend play, puzzles, construction toys, a book nook, and musical instruments.
  • The art and craft room has sand and water tables, painting, play dough, and all the requirements for creative activities.
  • In the Montessori room the children develop several skills. Practical skills are developed by doing buckles, tying shoes, using a spoon correctly. Sensorial skills are developed by learning about colours, sounds, textures, widths, and lengths. Maths and language skills are encouraged through games, worksheets and puzzles.
  • The gym room has a climbing frame and slide, and an inclined climbing and rope wall. The room also has large foam shapes for building and climbing.
To encourage interaction, independence, and responsibility, the children enjoy rotating roles where they look after the fish, take care of the weather chart, water the plants, and help in other small roles with the daily routine.

After School

Our after school care provides a welcome retreat after the school day. The children are collected from their schools and lunch is ready when they arrive. Afternoon tea is served mid afternoon. The children enjoy being consulted about their menu. A happy balance of their favourite foods with healthy fruit and vegetable platters are served. Their homework is supervised and assistance and encouragement is given when necessary.
The junior and senior play rooms have a variety of activities – home-play corner, blocks, construction, lego, dress-up clothes, props for role play and much more. The kitchen area is used for art and craft activities. Outdoor play is encouraged every afternoon. Football, basketball, and hockey are played, as well as skipping, hopscotch, stilt walking and chalk art. The sand house provides hours of entertainment even on rainy days.
The after school is available for full days on all days off and during holiday time. There is a programme of activities during the main holidays. The summer camp provides fun and plenty to do every day from July until the end of August. The summer camp has the same hours as the nursery.

ECCE

The Early Childhood and Care and Education programme is available at Child's Play. This is a free 38 week or 50 week programme, depending on the number of hours of attendance. Further information on this can be viewed on www.dcya.gov.ie. We would be happy to show you our ECCE facilities and explain our programme. The children will enjoy participating in the wide range of activities available. This programme will help to develop their confidence and independence for school.