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Guidance on Nurofen:

The Guidance is advice on best practice from the Irish Red Cross. Other first aid training providers are nowgiving the same advice. The Red Cross Trainers advise that non-prescription medication should be avoidedentirely, including herbal and homeopathic remedies. This advice stems from the rise in allergies in youngchildern. They cited Nurofen as being too harsh on the stomach for children.
A number of creches have expanded their medicine adminstration policy to exculde natural remedies andNurofen. Calpol is still used along with prescription medication and in the case of a child who is prone tofebrile convulsions a Paralink suppository can be administered with a letter from the child's GP advising same.We are also willing to administer Nurofen with written consent from the GP.
There is a growing trend for some parents to administer Nurofen in particular and it has become normal practice for some rather than a one off when a child is very sick. This highlights the fact that children whoare unwell should be at home as the creche is not the proper environment for them to get 1 to 1 attention orthe quiet they need for rest in order to recover.

The ECCE Year (Information for Parents)

The Free Pre-school Year in Early Childhood Care and Education
(The ECCE Year)

The ECCE is a new scheme designed to give children access to a free Pre-school Year of appropriate programme-based activities in the year before they start primary school.

Participation in a pre-school programme provides children with their first formal experience of early learning, the starting-point of their educational and social development outside the home.

Children who avail of pre-school are more likely to be ready for school and a formal learning and social environment.

Will my child be eligible?

The ECCE Scheme is open to all children aged between 3 years 3 months and 4 years 6 months at any stage during the September of each pre-school year (i.e. in practice, this includes all children of at least 3 years, 2 months and 1 day old on 1st September, but under 4 years, 7 months of age on that date).

To avail of the year in September 2012, children must have been born between 2 February 2008 and 30 June 2009.

Exceptions may be allowed where a child is verified as having Special Needs which make a later starting date appropriate, or where local primary school enrolment policies require (i.e. rather than allow) a later enrolment date.

Where can I enrol my child for the free Pre-school Year?

There are nearly 5,000 pre-school services notified to the Health Service Executive (HSE) or registered with the Irish Montessori Education Board (IMEB).

All of these are eligible to apply to participate in the scheme. A list of those accepted under the scheme has been made available for parents from their local City and County Childcare Committee from October 2009.

There may be services in your area that are offering a pre-school service but are not participating in the ECCE Scheme. You can avail of this provision at your own expense. Parents can contact listed services in their area at that time to arrange for enrolment.

The upper age limit of 4 years 6 months will be extended where a child cannot start primary school until s/he is more than 5 years 6 months of age, due to either the enrolment policy of the local schools or having been assessed as having developmental delays.

Booking a Place

If you have identified a suitable pre-school service which is participating in the ECCE scheme you should then find out if they have places available for you to book for September.

The scheme entitles you to up to 15 hours per week (over a period of 38 weeks) or 11.5 hours (over a period of 50 weeks). However, before booking a place you should be clear about the number of days available to you as most pre-school services would have limited places.

How is the Pre-school Year funded?