About Rathoe Community Childcare

  • Rathoe Community Childcare is based in the village of Rathoe directly across from Scoil Phadraig National school.
  • It was originally set up in 2006 as an Afterschool service in Rathoe Parish Hall and has since grown into a Preschool and Afterschool service.        
  • Our childcare facility is a not-for-profit community-based organisation managed by a local volunteer committee.
  • We aim to provide the children and families of our community with a high-quality low-cost service.
  • We provide higher adult/child ratios in our preschool and afterschool rooms to allow children the freedom of our large outdoor area whilst adhering to the required childcare regulations.
  • Our service is guided by the standards and principles of Siolta The National Quality Framework for early childhood education and we are regulated by Tusla The Child and Family Agency.

Our Aims & Ethos

  • We aim to provide the children within our service with a safe and friendly environment where they make new friends, grow in confidence and explore the world around them.
  • Our emphasis is on outdoor play and the huge benefits it provides for children.
  • Our purpose built service allows the children to explore nature and develop their fine and gross motor skills, early science and maths concepts, through play outdoors.
  • Our highly trained staff support the children’s choice to play indoors or outdoors with both environments fully equipped to optimise their learning and development.
  • We are hugely influenced by the child-centred philosophy of the Reggio Emelia approach with the environment being our third teacher.
  • We support children to think for themselves rather than teaching them what to think.
  • We focus on observing the indoor and outdoor environments in order to maximise each child’s own unique learning and development and incorporate the four Aistear themes of Communication, Exploring and Thinking, Identity and Belonging and Well- Being into all aspects of our child-led Natural Play Based curriculum.

OUR TEAM

All staff members are fully qualified in Early Childhood Education and Care ranging from QQI Level 5 & 6 to BA Level 7 and BA Hons Level 8.