ABOUT Offaly County Childcare Committee
Aims of the County Childcare Committees
Role of the committee
Members - Offaly County Childcare Committee
Mission Statement of Offaly County Childcare Committee
Offaly County Childcare Committee support the development of quality, affordable, inclusive, accessible childcare and family friendly services for all children in every part of the county
Offaly County Childcare Committee has been meeting since May 2001 and is made up of representatives from the statutory sector, social partners, community groups, voluntary groups, the Community and Voluntary Forum, National Voluntary Children's Organisations, providers of childcare, and parents - all of who have a vested interest in childcare provision in the county.
Aims of the County Childcare Committees
- To develop a co-ordinated strategy for childcare provision in the county
- To increase the supply of childcare services and facilities
- To support and develop local networks of providers
- To update the baseline data provided in the National Childcare Census
- To develop an information strategy concerning the provision of childcare in the county
- To establish and maintain effective links with the appropriate structures i.e. County Development Board, Local Area Partnerships, Health Boards etc.
Role of the committee
Offaly County Childcare Committee has four main roles:
1. To support the roll out of the ECCE (free pre-school place) in the county
2. To support the roll out of the CCS (commuity childcare subvention scheme) in the county
3. To support the roll out of the Community Education and Training Scheme (CETS scheme).
4. To support the support the development of the childcare sector in Offaly through working with the various types of Childcare settings such as:
- Playgroups (both private and community)
- Montessori schools
- Full day care - Nurseries & crèches
- Naionrai
- Traveller Pre-schools
- Steiner Kindergartens
- Childminders
- After-School Services
- Parent & Toddler Groups
Members - Offaly County Childcare Committee
| SECTOR | REPRESENTING | COMMITTEE MEMBER |
| Childcare Providers | Community Pre-school Provider Representative | Vacant |
| Private Pre-school Provider | Mireille Passchier (Secretary) | |
| Parents | Parents Representative (School Aged Children) |
Nathalie P. Watts (Treasurer) |
| Parents Representative (Pre-school Children) | Aisling Twohill & Lyn Lyons |
|
| Community and Voluntary | National Voluntary Childcare Organisation (NVCO) | Vacant |
| National Voluntary Childcare Organisation (NVCO) | Peggy Walker | |
| County Offaly Community Forum | Nora Lavin | |
| Local Development | Offaly Local Development Company | Sarah Behan(Chairperson) |
| County Enterprise Board | Vacant | |
| Statutory Agencies | Health Service’s Executive | Ann Spain (Vice Chairperson) |
| Offaly County Council, Community and Enterprise Office | Edel Boyd | |
| FÁS | Joanne Darcy | |
| Department of Social Protection | Vacant | |
| County Offaly V.E.C | Mary McLoughlin | |
| Department of Education and Science | Vacant |
For more information contact Offaly County Childcare Committee
