Inclusivity & Learning
We are ever aware of the changing ethnic environment in which we live and we dedicate time in our curriculum to learning about the various types of families and cultures around us. Each week, we have a different topic for the children’s learning experience and we aim to encourage learning using these themes in an enjoyable way.
We encourage independence by encouraging the children to take on tasks like dressing as soon as they are able and work these learning experiences into our curriculum. Each week we display a learning plan for each age group, and this dictates the skeleton of our day to day experiences but we leave flexibility to develop the children’s own ideas and, again, encourage independence.
Our curriculum is emergent in nature in that our focus is on being responsive to children’s interests to create meaningful learning experiences. The primary aim and purpose of our curriculum is to encourage all of the children to become confident and competent young learners through age and stage appropriate activities.
How we communicate with parents?
We use an application called Little Vista Family to communicate with our parents. We regularly post pictures, activities, observations to this app. The care plan is uploaded each week and we ask parents regularly for input into our care plans for all rooms. Parents can log on daily to see the sleep times, nappies and food logs from each day. Parents can also communicate with the manager and staff via the app.
What type of curriculum we use?
We follow an emergent play curriculum linked with Aistear our National Curriculum Framework. Every week our care plan is based on a new theme and we link in with the emergent interests of the children. It is important to emphasise that we use a learn through play approach. Each theme links in with daily activities, stories, songs and discussions in circle time and we always encourage and facility child spontaneity.
Our Curriculum Statement
At Bridge Kids, our curriculum follows the Aistear Aims and Learning Goals and the Síolta Principles. We link each activity to the four main themes under the following headings, ‘Exploring and Thinking’, ‘Identity and Belonging’, ‘Communicating’ and ‘Well Being’.
Our learning is play based and we are child led in our approach. This means that we take our cues from the children’s expressions of interest and we aim to develop the children’s learning experiences through interaction while they are at play.
Our rooms are laid out to encourage independence and the children have a choice in what areas of the room they interact with. The key areas are rest and relaxation, home, construction, sand and water play and imaginary play.
As part of our day to day experience, we encourage safe risk-taking and we have introduced elements like our outdoor climbing frames to meet this goal. We are conscious of the community in which we are located and we encourage parents and local professionals to get involved in our toddler and pre-school learning experience each year. This can include inviting a Garda, nurse, or fireman in to meet our children and allow the children to ask questions and learn about the community in which they live.
Enrolling at Bridge Kids
Pre-Admission
Before your little one’s first day, we encourage parents to visit for a tour of child’s room and to meet our staff. We will learn from parents/guardians about a child’s feeding routine, sleeping routine and rituals, general routine preferences, and create close links with home, encouraging you to bring in favourite blanket/family photos.
Parents/Guardians must complete the Parent handbook which contains registration form with all the relevant details about the child, especially collection and contact details, allergies and medical conditions/concerns and vaccination records.
We have an open-door policy for parents/guardian to encourage them to drop in at various times during opening hours with their children to familiarise the children and themselves with the routine, the crèche and the staff.
Settling in period
On the first day, your baby joins our childcare facility, a staff member will warmly welcome them at the entrance. Throughout the initial one-two-hour period, our staff will assess how the child is adapting to the new environment. This observation period is crucial in understanding the child’s comfort level and readiness for a more extended stay at the crèche. Based on our evaluation, we can then consider the possibility of increasing the hours spent at the Creche to ensure a smooth and gradual transition for the child.
It’s essential for parents to actively engage with their child and others during this settling-in period to offer reassurance in this new environment. Importantly, there is no expectation for the child to participate in activities during this phase.
We emphasise the importance of prompt collection at the end of the session, whether full or partial. Additionally, we encourage parents never to leave the premises without saying goodbye, ensuring a positive transition for the child.
Our approach prioritises a gradual and individualised introduction to our childcare setting, fostering a supportive environment for both the child and their parents or guardians.
We recommend that children attend for a mealtime and a sleep time in the first or second week of settling in.
When children are beginning to settle without their parents/guardians, they should be supported in observing, experimenting, and discovering for themselves without any attempts to make them participate in activities.
The settling in time has no time limits and may need to be repeated if a child becomes unsettled.
A Day at Bridge Kids
At Bridge Kids we understand that the child’s wellbeing and development are influenced by the environment around them. Our wonderful team focus on creating a stimulating, supportive and fun environment with enough challenge to keep your child engaged and learning.
The physical environment of each of our rooms are purpose-designed to provide ample space both indoors and outdoors for children to explore and learn through their play.
The materials and equipment in our playrooms are designed to present the children with 4 key areas which are relaxation and reading, construction play, home corner and role play and table top area. Playrooms for infants have large soft matted areas to encourage exploration and movement. Each of these areas include a wide variety of equipment, games and puzzles to encourage creativity and fun.
Our outdoor areas have climbing frames, role play areas, bikes and trikes and scooters, sensory play centres and lots of open space to enjoy. We incorporate nature through seasonal planting and outdoor activities.
Our Educational Curriculum
Our curriculum is play-based, which means that all of the activities that we plan are fun and focused on the children’s enjoyment and engagement. Each activity will have learning goals and outcomes identified under Aistear and Síolta.
Our curriculum is an emergent curriculum which means that we carefully observe and record these observations on children at play in the playroom. This allows us to plan meaningful activities for the children based on their interests.
Throughout the day, we share meals that are prepared by our chef. Our meals are nutritious and delicious and encourage children to try new flavours. We serve breakfast, a light morning snack, dinner, and evening snack each day.
We have dedicated sleep facilities in our baby rooms and also in our Under the Sea room. Under 2 year olds sleep in cots while over 2 year olds sleep on individual cot beds. We also include rest times throughout the day which include music and low lighting to encourage relaxation.
Keeping track of your child’s activities and their day at crèche is essential for parents and we share all the details of your child’s day in real-time through our parental communication app Little Vista Family app. This provides parents with photographs and information about key points of the day as well as essential information around feeds, sleeping and toileting.
The Skills We Nurture in our Toddler Childcare Facilities Include:
• Personal, social and emotional skills
• Communication, language and literacy
• Problem solving, numeracy and reasoning
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Physical & Creative development
Helping Your Toddler Grow & Mature
Being a toddler is a period full of growth, change, and learning. At this age, kids are ready for a little more structure and new challenges as well as more free play and plenty of rest periods.
As your child discovers their own independence, we encourage and guide them to further develop their confidence as well as their intellectual, social, and emotional development as they explore their environment. We place a strong focus on linguistic development through activities like songs, role play, dress-up, and more.
We work closely with parents around toilet training etc. as your child prepares for the first year of their pre-school experience, making the experience as fun, comfortable, and enjoyable as possible for children and parents. When your child reaches the ECCE age he/she will then transition to the Jungle/ Rainforest preschool room to attend the ECCE session 9.30-12.30 3 hours daily.
Our Pre-School Curriculum
At Bridge Kids we use a play based emergent curriculum supported by Aistear – The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework and Síolta the National Quality framework for Early Years Children’s Services. All of our rooms use a child-led emergent curriculum. The value of learning through play is paramount and we very strongly believe that it is our role to facilitate learning, rather than the implementation of a strict curriculum. Activities in rooms are age and developmentally appropriate and are tailored to meet the needs and interests of all children in our care.
All children are introduced to pre-reading, pre-handwriting, and early mathematics and science in preparation for school, all the while in a fun, exciting and challenging way.
We place a strong focus on bringing the indoors to outdoors and have developed our outdoor play areas to allow the children all the experiences of the classroom while outdoors. We ensure that children are presented with materials that engage and challenge their senses. Children learn most while they are engaged, happy and having fun and so we take our cues from the children while always facilitating their spontaneity allowing them autonomy.
Parents will receive updates daily along with written observations on your child’s activities. Our parental communication app which offers real time updates ensures that all the family are on board with the pre-school learning experience.
Fees and Funding Info
Please see below the fee lists and calendars for each of our services.
Fees letter to be uploaded for NCS CCSP and ECCE for year
Calendar to be up loaded for NCS CCSP and ECCE
Board of Directors
Happy children
Happy children
Hours worked
