About Bubbles Crèche
The objectives of Bubbles Crèche are:
- We create a welcoming atmosphere which promotes respect, appreciation and consideration for all children, their staff and families.
- We provide a secure and supportive environment which will assist the individual development of each child.
- We ensure that each child reaches their full potential through our excellent and high quality childcare.
- We provide opportunities for lots of fun,creativity, exploration and play in order to prepare the child for further education and life-long learning.
- We provide the child with the best possible foundation for life and early education in a welcoming, inclusive and stimulating environment.
- We follow a varied daily menu which provides healthy and nutritious meals and snacks.
Staff and Awards
Our Staff
All of the staff in Bubbles Crèche have a range of qualifications in childcare:
Fetac Level 5, Fetac Level 6, Degree in childcare, Masters in childcare, Montessori qualifications.
All staff have attended an up to date First Aid Training course, renewed every 2 years.
Child protection training delivered to all stafffocusing on each child,s safety and wellbeing eachbeing of the highest importance in Bubbles Crèche.
Bubbles staff team engage in continuous professional development and upskilling in childcare and early education, thereby ensuring the highest standards of childcare are delivered at all times to each child in our care.
Bubbles staff have completed training in Aistear (The Early Childhood Framework) and Síolta (The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education) to facilitate the implementation of a quality childcare curriculum.
Bubbles Creche and Montessori are Reggio Inspired services. We worked with the Reggio International Advisor, with many staff both attending training and workshops in NUIG and this training continued in Bubbles.
Awards
Bubbles Crèche provides the highest quality of childcare and early education for children from six months to three years of age.
Bubbles Creche is registered with T.U.S.L.A. and our recent pre school inspection report Feb 2015 is available on line. Download and read here.
Bubbles Creche is registered with Early Childhood Ireland to provide additional advise and support to us in managing our childcare service. Through the implementation of best practices and high standards Bubbles Crèche has been awarded the National Quality Excellence Award in Childcare in 2008 and 2011.
The award is accredited by Early Childhood Ireland and demonstrates to children,parents, visitors and members of the public a commitment to quality and success in implementing and maintaining consistently high standards of excellence in childcare.
Our Rooms
Baby Room - children aged 6 - 12 months.
The babies in the Baby Room have access to a wide variety of stimulating soft toys, puzzles, books, and games appropriate to their developmental stage. Staff provide daily opportunities and a range of activities to promote language, social, physical, intellectual and emotional development.
A separate sleep room accessed directly form wobbler room with individual cots is provided for the children in this room. The ratio in this room is 1 adult to 3 children.
Wobbler Room - children aged 12 - 24 months.
The children in the Wobbler Room have access to a wide variety of stimulating soft toys, puzzles, books, and games appropriate to their developmental stage. Staff provide daily opportunities and a range of activities to promote language, social, physical, intellectual and emotional development.
Each child’s individual requirements are taken into consideration to ensure quality childcare can be provided to each child. The staff in the Wobbler Room are experienced and qualified and have a ratio of 1 adult to 5 children.
Playschool Room - children aged 24-36 months.
The children in the playschool room engage in a wide variety of stimulating activities including;
- Socio-dramatic play and drama.
- Sensory play in our sensory room.
- “Stretch and Grow”.
- Messy play (wide variety of messy play and sensory play activities).
- Imaginative play .
- Outdoor play.
- Music.
- Art and crafts .
These activities provide opportunities to promote language and social skills, as well as enhancing emotional and physical development.
Sensory room
Our specially designed sensory room helps to develop the children’s senses through special lighting, music and sensory objects. It creates a “safe place” for children while also providing a therapeutic opportunity to discover senses.
Outdoor Area
Bubbles Crèche has an enclosed play area with a safety wet pore surface. Children are given daily opportunities to play outside in the play area, which is a safe, secure environment with age appropriate play equipment. In fine weather a lot of the activities are moved outdoors ensuring the children get as much outdoor play as possible.
Food and Drink
Food and Drink
In Bubbles Crèche all food and drinks are included in our fees. We promote healthy eating and water is available to children throughout the day. Our Food is Healthy Varied , Nutritious and Tasty with sweets and treats kept to a minimum, available for parties and on special occasions.
Children have the option of Breakfast from 7.30-8.30am
Dinner from the varied selection of Moon & Spoon dinners from 11.30-12.30pm
Afternoon tea including fresh fruit snack: 15.00-16.00 with good variety of healthy options all displayed on our menus.
We cater for children who have food allergies or sensitivities to certain foods.
Moon and Spoon are a unique catering service dedicated to providing nurseries with delicious dishes packed full of nutritious super foods.
Created by an experienced chef, the dishes pass the taste test every time. To ensure optimum nutrition is provided a leading consultant dietitian, Gillian Killiner, advises Moon & Spoon on the nutritional composition of the meals.
Using a mix of fun names, aromas, textures and flavours, the dinners appeal specifically to children’s senses. Because the menu is entirely balanced, it helps children develop excellent dietary habits from a very early age. Best of all, the dishes are incredibly tasty so kids simply love tucking in!
We have a large variety of different dinners available to us providing the children with various dinners daily for a month.
Childcare Programme
Aistear
Aistear was developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Its main aim is to provide children with learning opportunities through the methodology of play. Aistear has four themes, Well-being, Identity and belonging, Communicating and Exploring and thinking, all of which are aimed at promoting skill development by learning through play.
In Bubbles Crèche we implement the Aistear programme as set out by the N.C.C.A. to develop the children’s learning and skills development, such as social, emotional, cognitive, physical and intellectual skills.
- Aistear is implemented through the following activities in Bubbles Crèche;
- Socio-dramatic play
- Construction and small world play
- Junk art
- Messy play
- Language games
- Songs and music
N.C.C.A. has developed resources for parents to help children with the Aistear programme. You can download videos, tip sheets and podcasts here.
Síolta
Síolta is the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education. Its purpose is designed to define, assess and support all aspects of Early Childhood Education.
Síolta enables Bubbles Crèche to provide a high standard of childcare under its twelve principles. The Síolta principles are designed with each child’s individual needs as priority, whilst also developing their social, emotional, cognitive, intellectual and physical skills.
Read more about Síolta the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education online at this link.
Stretch and Grow
Our children have access to the structured “Stretch & Grow” programme, which encourages group work, enhances motor skills, develops strength, flexibility, agility, balance and co-ordination.