Regulations requiring the registration of school-age childcare services came into effect on 18th February 2019 with the publication of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Registration of School Age Services) Regulations 2018.
Childcare services for school-age children must now register with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. School-age childcare services had not, to date, been subject to registration, so this is a significant step forward in ensuring quality school-age childcare. New services must apply for registration at least 3 months before opening.
The Regulations that came into force are preliminary regulations. Later this year the Department of Children and Youth Affairs will embark on a public consultation process on the development of comprehensive regulations and national quality standards for school-age childcare. The Report on the Findings of the Public Consultation on the Development of School Age Childcare (SAC) Comprehensive Regulations and Quality Standards is available on the Department’s website.
School-age childcare services can find more information online at www.tusla.ie.