The Grove After School has been in operation since 2002. It is an on-site childcare facility located on the grounds of Our Lady’s Grove Primary School.  Established as a not-for-profit company, with Charity status, and managed by a voluntary Board of Directors, together with a team of paid employees who run the day to day operations, the service consists of both an After School and Pre School.

Mission

Our mission, at Grove After School, is to foster the advancement of education and social development of children and their families in the Goatstown area though the provision of a care service for children prior to, during and after school hours.

In both the pre & after school service we provide a safe & homely setting where your child can make new friends or meet up with their school friends in a warm, welcoming environment. Homework is supervised. Our staff are experienced, caring & friendly. Our facilities include four large rooms – dining area, homework room, playroom, two pre school rooms and a separate room for the older children with table tennis & pool table.

Childcare Sector Partners

  • Tusla: The dedicated Child & Family Agency (Tusla) are responsible for the regulation and inspection of all early year’s settings to ensure that high quality childcare services are delivered to all children and their families. Tusla carry out inspections on Pre School services. Our After School Facility is now also fully registered. GAS works closely with Tusla for support, guidance & information.
  • ECI: Early Childhood Ireland is the largest organisation in the early years sector who represent 3,800 childcare members & who support over 100,000 children & their families through pre school, afterschool and full day-care provision. Their work also includes publications, advocacy, training & information to childcare services. ECI is of great support to GAS on an ongoing basis and we are happy to be a Member for the last number of years.
  • DCLRCC: Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Childcare Committee develop and implement a co-ordinated strategy for the provision of quality early childhood care and education services in Dublin. They are responsible for administering national childcare funding programmes in the county on behalf of DCYA. They have been a great source of information and support for us also.
  • Pobal: This agency works on behalf of the Government to support communities and local agencies towards achieving social inclusion and development.  Their role is to provide management and support services to programmes such as Early Years and young people.

Grove After School

The After School offers before school care (8-9am) as well as after school care from 1.35-6pm including a supervised homework club.  We also open for the school term holidays and for 5 weeks during July/August. During these breaks we organise Fun Activity Camps.

Please note we will accept children from other schools for our after school service but there is no collection service available for outside of the grounds.

Grove Pre School

GAS provides Pre School childcare under the following schemes:

  • ECCE: The Early Childhood Care & Education Programme provides all children with access to free pre school before they start primary school. Children can register for the programme if they are over 2 years and 8 months before 1st September and remain in free pre school until they transfer to primary school provided that they are not older than 5 and a half years at the end of the pre school year. GAS have participated in the ECCE Programme since 2010. We have two pre-school classes (morning sessions) and have extended our pre-school day to 6pm to facilitate working parents.  We also provide hot meals & snacks.
  • National Childcare Scheme: Parents may apply for childcare fee subsidies from NCS. Details of how to apply & terms & conditions can be found at: http://ncs.gov.ie/en/
  • AIM Programme: Access & Inclusion Model is designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access and fully participate in the ECCE programme. It has seven levels of support based on the needs of the child and the pre school setting. Access refers to the child’s ability to attend pre school & inclusion refers to the child’s ability to participate as fully and actively as possible in the pre school programme.  We have worked in conjunction with AIM on a couple of occasions in the last few years.

In conjunction with Aistear & Siolta, we use the Montessori principles in the classroom as both room leaders are qualified Montessori teachers. The children enjoy the freedom of movement & choice of activities & also being able to work at their own pace either independently or with their friends. All the materials are at child height & we have designated areas for the different activities.

Aistear: This is the framework for children from birth to 6 years in Ireland. Aistear provides appropriately challenging, positive and enjoyable learning experiences for children from birth to six years.

Siolta: This is a quality framework for early childhood care and education services.  Siolta focuses on all facets of quality within ECCE settings including learning and development.

Our varied activities are used to provide fun & challenging learning experiences for the children.  We focus on each child’s individual interests and needs and support them as they investigate the world in their special way.   During the year we have special events such as a Halloween Party, Christmas Concert, Teddy Bear’s Picnic, Outing, Sports Day and a Graduation Ceremony at the end of the school year.

Child Safeguarding

Child Safeguarding Statement

Our Child Safeguarding Statement is available to view in our entrance hall or at the link here. A copy can also be obtained on request. This statement is reviewed every 2 years or sooner if necessary, due to service issues or changes in legislation or national policy. Our last review was May 2022.

This is a written statement that specifies the service being provided and the principles and procedures to be observed in order to ensure, as far as practicable, that a child availing of the service is safe from harm.

All Staff have 1st Aid Training which is renewed every 2 years. We also have 2 staff who have completed Fire Safety Training.

We also have a trained First Aid Responder among our staff.

Children First Programme:

Tusla has worked with the DCYA & HSE to develop a universal e-learning programme called “Introduction to Children First”.  The programme has been written to support childcare staff to recognise concerns about children and reporting such concerns if they arise. The programme is based on Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children and the Children First Act 2015.

All Staff have completed this e-learning course & continue to refresh it annually.

Our Staff

GAS & Pre School Manager: Yvonne Tumelty

Pre School Staff:

Orna & Noelle (Pre School Room Leaders)

Linda & Linda (Pre School Assistants)

After School Staff:

Yvonne, Orna, Linda C, Michaela, Linda K, Fiona, Laura, Niamh, Anne & Orlaith.

 

Grove After School Care Management Company

Grove After School Care Management Company is a company limited by guarantee and a charity registered with the Charities Regulator in Ireland, charity number 20059781. The Company is governed by its constitution and its key objects are:

  • To foster the advancement of education and social development of children and their families in the Goatstown area though the provision of a care service for children prior to, during and after school hours.
  • To provide childcare in all its various branches on a not-for-profit basis, in order to apply any profits that may arise from this activity to the benefit of the main objective.
  • To provide facilities for educational and social development programmes as detailed below:
    To provide personnel resources for the benefit of The Jesus and Mary Primary School, Goatstown. These are directed to the areas requested by the Board of Management of the school and would typically include in-class assistants in areas such as reading and artwork, first aid facilities, break time supervision, supervision resources for school outings and other requirements as specified by the school.
  • To purchase school equipment for the benefit of The Jesus and Mary Primary School, Goatstown.
  • To relieve poverty and advance education through the provision of financial support to the Sisters of Jesus and Mary in Goatstown for the purposes of funding their Primary School in Lagos, Nigeria.
Click here to download our Child Safeguarding StatementDownload