Dublin City Childcare Committee

04/09/2026

04/09/2026

CHILDMINDERS/PARENTS: Don't Wait! Have your say! 🙌

Have you completed the Let's Talk Childminding Survey? Follow this video tutorial on how to complete in just a few simple steps!

The survey will close at 23:59 on Monday 7 September 2026.

Visit https://www.letstalkchildminding.ie/ to complete today!

04/09/2026

AIM Level 7 2026/2027 payments confirmation

Dear Service Provider,

We are pleased to confirm that AIM Level 7 payments for the 2026/2027 programme call have been processed and should be in bank accounts by 7 September 2026. This marks an important milestone for the 2026/2027 programme year and the introduction of the new streamlined AIM Level 7 application and funding process.

Please note that AIM Level 7 payments for the 2026/2027 programme call will now be made one week in arrears, aligning with ECCE and/or NCS registration and claims.

AIM resources for service providers

A range of supports are available on the AIM Level 7 guidance page in Help & Support: https://earlyyearshive.ncs.gov.ie/how-to-guides/better-start-aim/better-start-aim7/

The how-to guide on understanding AIM Level 7 Capitations and Allocations is available here.https://earlyyearsportal.ncs.gov.ie/How-to-view-AIM-L7-Capitations-and-allocations.pdf
The AIM Level 7 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is available here.
https://earlyyearsportal.ncs.gov.ie/AIM-Level-7-FAQ.pdf
Contact us

For queries regarding the AIM programme, please contact the Early Years Provider Centre (EYPC) by raising a request on the Early Years Hive using the following categories:

Programme: Select the relevant AIM Level
Request Type: Application
Request Type Detail: How To
Kind regards,

The Early Years Team

04/09/2026

Journey Through the Early Years Hive training invite

Dear Service Provider,

We are delighted to announce the latest of our rolling training, Journey Through the Early Years Hive. This training will benefit those wishing to refresh their Early Years Hive navigation skills and new Early Years Hive users.

Please note: this training will not include programme specific content. We kindly ask that questions asked on the day are kept to the topic of the Early Years Hive functionality and navigation.

Please find the registration links below:

Session 1: Wednesday 09 September at 10.30am
67a60ab0-14c1-443d-89c5-12d2186a9f70@aeae5436-a997-489f-b0e1-ae283ced47f7?source=copyLinkLegacyShareEventDialog" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/67a60ab0-14c1-443d-89c5-12d2186a9f70@aeae5436-a997-489f-b0e1-ae283ced47f7?source=copyLinkLegacyShareEventDialog

Session 2: Thursday 10 September at 2.30pm
3b5c8510-7025-4e6d-85f8-537212b80ba1@aeae5436-a997-489f-b0e1-ae283ced47f7?source=copyLinkLegacyShareEventDialog" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3b5c8510-7025-4e6d-85f8-537212b80ba1@aeae5436-a997-489f-b0e1-ae283ced47f7?source=copyLinkLegacyShareEventDialog

As part of this training, we will explore:

What is the Early Years Hive?
Navigation overview (Menu tabs)
Searching in the Early Years Hive
Focus Areas: Service registration - Service calendar - User roles and access management - Child registration (NCS,ECCE, CCSP Saver)
General Early Years Hive good practice
Support tools & on-screen messages
Poll and Feedback
Questions and Answers
Future sessions will be announced on a rolling basis on the announcements section on the Early Years Hive. You are very welcome to extend the invitation to members of your team who would benefit from this training.

We look forward to having you attend this event.

Regards,

The Early Years Team

Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

04/09/2026

NCS Compliance Inspections – 2026/2027

Dear Service Provider

The new NCS programme call 2026/2027 has commenced and NCS on-site inspections will continue. The compliance process will involve a series of standardised checks aimed at confirming adherence with programme rules, contract conditions and relevant legislation as set out by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE).

To ensure minimum disruption and expedite the compliance inspection, it is advised that services prepare for an unannounced NCS compliance inspection. We recommend that services collate relevant information for review (e.g. Parent Statements etc.) in a Compliance File which can be made readily available to the Visit Officer(s) on arrival. Access to child Attendance and Fee records must also be available on-site to enable the Visit Officer(s) to complete the compliance inspection in a reasonable timescale. In this regard we request that the person in charge on-site has access to the Compliance File / records in the event of an unannounced inspection. Please only maintain compliance related information in the Compliance File. NB: NCS inspections require 12 months of records available and accessible for review.

We also bring your attention to a number of important NCS related reminders previously published on Hive:

Guidance on Attendance record keeping was published on the Hive on 17/06/2024, included the following extract:
‘...it is advised that the format of the attendance records is not daily sheets, but rather that each page shows at least one week of attendance (i.e. weekly sheets/roll books). This will greatly support services when tracking attendance patterns of individual children, to assist in submitting weekly NCS Hive returns and keeping ECCE and CCSP Saver Programme registrations up to date.’

Guidance on registering children on NCS who are in education (i.e. in school or ECCE) was published on the Hive on 28/04/2025 which included the following:
"It is important to note that the child should only be registered on NCS for hours that they require and intend to be present in the service. In particular, NCS subsidised hours cannot be claimed for hours that the child is in education (i.e. ECCE or school)."

With the commencement of the NCS 2026/2027 inspection cycle, the Pobal Compliance team have updated the relevant NCS compliance support documents which are available on the Hive under the Resources section. These documents are listed below and can also be accessed through this link- https://earlyyearshive.ncs.gov.ie/downloads/compliance-documents/

NCS Compliance Checklist for Providers 2026/2027
NCS Compliance Provider Guide 2026/2027
NCS Post Inspection Rectification Actions for Providers 2026/2027
Accessing the NCS Compliance Report on Hive 2026/2027
Please note - these documents are only supports, intended to assist you. There is an onus on each Provider to familiarise themselves with their responsibilities under the NCS legislative and contractual conditions.

In addition, 3 webinars on the NCS Compliance process 2026/2027 are going to be scheduled for Providers on the 15 and 16 September 2026. Each webinar will cover the same content. We encourage you to take the opportunity to attend a webinar. Following the conclusion of the webinar sessions, a recording of a session will also be made available on the Hive with the Powerpoint slides.

A further announcement will be issued in advance of compliance inspections commencing on other programmes e.g. ECCE/CCSP/AIM.

We want to take this opportunity to thank services in advance for your continued co-operation with compliance checks.

Regards

Pobal & DCDE Compliance Teams

04/09/2026

Have your opinions as a childminder heard

03/09/2026

Why your voice matters

03/09/2026

How to choose childminding for your family

02/09/2026

Programme Updates and Compliance Guidance Support
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/programme-updates-and-compliance-guidance-support-tickets-1999386490816

Dublin City Childcare Committee
Dublin 7, Dublin
Saturday, September 26 • 11 AM - 1 PM
Overview
This is a limited group support session for services who might need some guidance on this programme years updates and compliance 26/27.

What will be covered:
Updates to the ECCE, NCS & Core Funding programmes for 26/27
Child registrations and co-payment function
Compliance for NCS and ECCE

Who should attend this workshop:
ELC and SAC Providers, Managers and Administrators

Booking Criteria:
This workshop has been prepared specifically for ELC & SAC providers in the Dublin City Childcare Committee catchment area (If this criteria does not apply to you, your booking may be cancelled).