After-school care initiative to help parents remain in full-time work

AN initiative by Limerick childcare workers to encourage more people to provide after-school care will help more parents remain in full-time employment, according to Mary Moloney of the Limerick Childcare Committee.

A manual and video/DVD information package on after-school care, the first of its kind produced in this country, was launched last night by the Limerick Childcare Committee.

Its co-ordinator, Ms Moloney, said the package will help develop existing after-school childcare groups and encourage others to set up new ones around the country.

The package is geared towards individuals and groups involved in providing after-school care for children aged between six and 12. The Limerick City Child Care Committee have been working on the project for the past 18 months.

Ms Moloney said demand for after-school care is growing as more parents work full-time hours.

“The term, after-school care, refers to the provision of childcare that is aimed at school-age children to bridge the gap between when school finishes and parents finish work. After-school care encompasses a wide range of programmes for children that occur before school, after school, and during the summer period and other holiday breaks,” she said at yesterday’s launch. After-school programmes are usually provided in settings such as community halls, crèches, unused school rooms, purpose-built facilities and by childminders in private homes. Limerick City Child Care Committee, she said, felt there was a need to have more information available on how the best way to structure and organise after-school care.

The committee is funded by the Department of Justice.

The manual and video deal with a wide range of subjects ranging from activities, health and safety, policy and procedures.

Ms Moloney said, as the demand for after-school care increases, it is important the needs of staff, volunteers and childcare students are met through the kind of information packages initiated in Limerick.

“School-age childcare is a relatively new phenomenon in the Irish childcare context and the demand for such childcare services is growing rapidly. Our research in this project highlighted the need for suitable training resources in the Irish context,” she said.

While childcare training manuals/vidoes/DVDs are available in Britain and the US, the Limerick Child Care package is the first of its kind produced in this country.

Most after-school care groups offer a wide range of activities which can include homework time.

“Children may be involved in activities such as arts and crafts, speech and drama, music, role-play, photography and much more,” Ms Moloney said.

At present there are 949 children in Limerick taking part in the after-school care programme and a further 402 in full-time care provided by crèche providers.

“The demand for after-school care is increasing with parents having to remain in full-time employment and taking up training and educational opportunities,” said Ms Moloney.