Child care in Dublin

Hi,

when settling in a new country, working parents are mostly concerned about finding child care services for their children.

What can you share with us about the child care system in Dublin ?

How much is daycare in Dublin?

Is the staff qualified at these daycare centers?

What are the usual opening hours?

Do they provide other services at the daycare center?

Any daycare center in Dublin you would like to recommend to other expats? What makes them special?

Thank you for participating! :)

Hi Armand,
I also found a surprising lack of info about creches (daycares) in Dublin, as far as reviews or such. There is a reputable chain called Giraffe that people like because you can log in to an online camera during the day. They have them throughout Dublin. Here are some tips:

1. Make sure the places you are looking for are certified by the national board. Ireland has laws about the ratio of caregivers to children.
2. Narrow down possibilities by an area convenient to you, either near your work or near your home.
3. Schedule visits and ask to speak to a parent of a child attending. I found this to be the most helpful thing of all, because in some ways, there's not much difference between places and you will get a good sense from parents how happy they are.
4.Many daycares have pick-up services at local schools if your child is attending for after-school and montessori and pre-montessori programs, depending on the age of your child.

I think you will find most reputable places have qualified staff and may work with you on the hours. For example, we can drop off our children at any time between 8-9. I think you'd also want to make sure there's an "open door" policy, meaning the parents can drop in at any time to see their children.

Hope this helps.

Erin

Hello Erin and welcome to Expat.com!

Thanks for these useful tips Erin!:top:

Harmonie.:)