| In part 1 of this series I briefly mentioned how | | | | month before they are due to start primary |
| we turned our sitting room into a pre-school and | | | | school at the age of five years. I was appalled by |
| suggested some areas that you need to | | | | this fact and decided to use my experience and |
| investigate before setting up your service. As | | | | qualifications to create a preschool place in my |
| mentioned there are things that you must do | | | | home for my daughter and the Clonee |
| before you open your doors and these | | | | community. |
| include:oYou must notify your local childcare | | | | Giving up our sitting room was a tough decision as |
| inspectorate and inform them of your intention to | | | | we knew that it would disrupt our family. Simple |
| start a childcare service. Please notify before you | | | | things like having guests became very awkward |
| open and request an advisory visit (these visits | | | | etc. Please think very carefully before changing |
| cannot take place when you are open)oDownload | | | | your sitting/family room into a pre-school it can |
| and print the relevant Childcare Regulations, read | | | | have a profound effect on the rest of your |
| them, understand them and then implement them. | | | | family. Sit down with the family explore the |
| You are also required to display them in your | | | | consequences both good and bad of this decision. |
| service.oDevelop policies and procedures for your | | | | If you all agree that about the change you then |
| service. I would suggest at a minimum admissions, | | | | need to draw up a plan of the room. We broke |
| child protection, pandemic control, confidentiality, | | | | the room into zones including a home zone |
| cleaning, fees, complaints, healthy lunch, hygiene, | | | | (dressing up, kitchen etc), book zone (books and |
| nappy changing, administration of medication, | | | | a comfy couch), work zone (area with table and |
| parental involvement, settling in and | | | | chairs), we invested in good quality pre-school |
| behavioural.oProduce a parent's handbook, | | | | shelving from a company called Galgorm. We set |
| pre-school agreement form and term timetable | | | | the room out in a number of different ways and |
| and fees policy.oJoin the IPPA or NCNA or similar | | | | photographed each type for later comparison. We |
| trade organisation. | | | | eventually settled on one layout and used the |
| The above are the minimum that you must do | | | | photo as a guide (handy for new staff). We paid |
| before you open your doors. Please learn from us | | | | a professional cleaning company to come in and |
| we did not do all the things before we opened. | | | | clean the house before we opened, they |
| Back to how we did it! | | | | completely cleaned the pre-school room from top |
| After researching the cost of renting/buying a | | | | to bottom. |
| building which was prohibitive at the time we | | | | The big mistake that we made was to have all of |
| decided to turn our sitting room into a small | | | | our shelving on the floor (this decreased the area |
| pre-school. The following is an extract from an | | | | and the number of children who could attend the |
| early business plan which explains why we used | | | | service), look into the possibility of utilising wall |
| our house rather than renting or buying a building | | | | space if at all possible. During our first inspection |
| (of course besides the ridiculous prices). | | | | the inspector told us that if we were able to get |
| 1. It is situated in a cul-de-sac with excellent main | | | | two of the shelves off the floor she would |
| road access. The outside of the house has safe | | | | approve us for 2 extra children. One quick call to |
| and ample parking facilities. | | | | Galgorm, changed the units and we put them on |
| 2. It is in close proximity to the local schools, | | | | the wall. Measure your area with and without your |
| business and the major development of new | | | | floor standing shelving and check if you could be |
| housing estates. | | | | approved for one or more children (keeping in |
| 3. There is mandatory access to the front and | | | | mind ratios of course). |
| back which allows provision of fire exits. | | | | Please note that because we had only informed |
| 4. A spacious garden which is not overlooked with | | | | the HSE Inspectorate after we had opened we |
| large well built fences for safety. | | | | were not able to take advantage of an advisory |
| This property comprises of the space area for | | | | visit. Our first inspection went well as we had read |
| the following rooms to provide a full day care | | | | the Childcare Regulations and for the most part |
| service: Pre-school room: 5.92m x 3.5m in | | | | implemented them. There was no inspection tool |
| accordance with preschool regulation floor area of | | | | at the time (please download it and use it on your |
| 2.32m per child. The adult/child ratio for this room | | | | service) we went through each section of the act |
| will be one adult to six children. This room will | | | | and compared the regulations to our service. We |
| offer adequate space so that the children can | | | | carried out mini inspections every month to see if |
| move around from each play area safely. This | | | | there were any problems. |
| room in the afternoons will be used for after | | | | We also displayed our inspection report and our |
| school children with a ratio of one adult to eight | | | | response to it on the notice board with a big |
| children. | | | | "Please Read" sign above it. Later on I scanned |
| This next extract is also from an early business | | | | them and created a PDF file for downloading from |
| plan which highlights the need for another | | | | our website. In all the years that we displayed our |
| pre-school in the local area. We were only a short | | | | inspection report it was only read by a few |
| distance from a very successful Montessori | | | | parents. But each of them commented that |
| school. The area that I live in is Clonee Co. Dublin. | | | | seeing our inspection report so readily available |
| This is a newly expanding area with new housing | | | | gave them the confidence to choose our service. |
| estates and infrastructures. The reason for this | | | | When a parent agrees to place their child in your |
| expansion has been largely due to an explosion in | | | | service it is very important to complete the |
| the population in 2003 of 80.2%. In order to deal | | | | following with them and get them to sign where |
| with this population increase Fingal County Council | | | | necessary:oPre-school agreement (read through |
| developed a census report investigating all areas | | | | this with them and ask that they understand and |
| of the labour force and what child care facilities | | | | agree all sections)oChild record form (we used to |
| where required to meet this need. | | | | allow parents to take this document home to |
| After researching this census report I discovered | | | | complete but invariably it came back with lots of |
| the following:oAlmost 30% of the families in the | | | | omissions).oPermission slips (trips, photos, flickr |
| Fingal county council area have children the 3-4 | | | | submission etc) |
| preschool age range.oFingal has 36.819 of families | | | | The use of computer software can really make |
| with children under the age of six years.oIn Fingal | | | | your admin much easier. Having immediate access |
| 64.8% are working mothers in the labour force. | | | | to your data can make your service far more |
| During my childcare experience I have worked in | | | | efficient and professional. |
| Dublin 15 in Crèches both public and | | | | It is important to setup a good filling system from |
| private sector so I was very aware of the lack | | | | the very start and keep all records safe and in a |
| and major shortage of the provision of quality | | | | locked filling cabinet. You must ensure the |
| childcare. The most shocking issue was the | | | | confidentiality and security of your clients |
| extremely long waiting lists. If you were lucky you | | | | information this is a legal requirement under the |
| could get a childcare place for a toddler the | | | | Data Protection Act. |