Our Services

Preschool/ECCE Service
Afterschool Service
Breakfast Club

Caterpillar Kids provides high-quality, early years’ education and care for pre-school and school age children. Our service is Tusla registered under the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 and the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Service) (Registration of School Age Services) Regulations 2018.

See each section below for details of what we offer.

Preschool Service (ECCE)

Preschool is an exciting time in your child’s life where they will grow and develop faster than any other time in their lives. Children learn through play and at Caterpillar Kids, we value play as essential to children’s wellbeing, learning and development. We believe that:

  • All children have the right to engage in play experiences.
  • Children are capable and active learners.
  • Children learn through active hands-on experience – playing, exploring, experimenting and discovering.
  • Children are enabled to develop an appreciation of natural beauty and a sense of wonder about the world outdoors.
  • Children can play for their own purposes and on their terms.
  • Children are given the opportunity to relax, enjoy and have fun.
  • Both boys and girls can be competent in all areas.

    • Our beliefs about play are at the heart of our preschool. We provide early education for children eligible for the ECCE free preschool scheme. We cater for up to 44 preschool children across two rooms. Our service is open Monday-Friday 7:30am to 6:30pm for 51 weeks of the year. We offer the ECCE (free preschool) scheme Monday-Friday from 9:30am until 12:30pm which runs for two years. We also provide full day preschool spaces. Full day preschool spaces include wraparound care from 7:30am up to 6:30pm to support parents’ childcare needs. All meals are included in our full day service in line with our healthy eating policy and specific dietary needs can be catered for. We run the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) which may offer subsidies to parents on fees.

Afterschool Service

School can be a busy time for children and we believe that they should have the opportunity to relax and unwind after school. Our Afterschool Service is a place where children can complete their written homework in an environment where they are supported in their learning while also providing a space where they can play freely.

We can cater for up to 24 after school children in our premises, maintaining a Tusla adult to child ratio of 1:12. We provide collection from Parteen National School for both the infant collection at 1:40pm and the senior collection at 2:40pm. We care for school age children until whatever time their parents are ready to collect them, right up to 6:30pm. We also run the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) which may offer subsidies to parents on fees.

Children will be collected from school and brought to the service where they will receive a hot, nutritious meal with their friends and they can chat about their day and wind down. After this, children are supported in completing their written homework followed by outdoor play to burn off some energy and get their bodies moving. They will also have ample opportunity for free play in the service as well as engaging in structured activities like baking, arts and crafts, messy play and much more!

Caterpillar Kids provides full day care for school age children when the school is closed so parents don’t have to worry about where the kiddies will go during this time. We believe that providing a reliable service that includes drop off, collection and afterschool care is an integral part of creating a harmonious work/life balance where parents can rest assured that their children are being looked after by childcare professionals.

Breakfast Club

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we believe that a healthy breakfast is key to children’s ability to focus and learn throughout the busy school day. Our service ensures that parents who have a busy morning have one less thing to worry about.

At breakfast club, children can be dropped from 7:30am and will be provided with a healthy, wholesome breakfast. They will then have the opportunity to play with other children and have some fun in the morning before school. At 8:45am, they will leave Caterpillar Kids and will walk to Parteen N.S. with a member of our team until they are safely in their class line or class room on wet days.

To view our parent statement, click here.