Glossary — Naíonra Scout

Tusla: The Child and Family Agency, set up in 2014. Tusla is the independent statutory regulator for early-years childcare services in Ireland — every crèche, preschool, after-school club and registered childminder is on the Tusla register and is inspected periodically.
NCS — National Childcare Scheme: The single national subsidy scheme that helps parents pay for registered childcare. It has two parts: a Universal subsidy (€2.14/hour, no income test, for ages 6 months to 15 years) and an Income-Assessed subsidy (up to €3.75/hour extra, depending on household income and child's age).
ECCE — Early Childhood Care and Education: The free preschool scheme. Provides up to two free preschool years (3 hours/day, 5 days/week, 38 weeks/year) for children from age 2 years 8 months until they start primary school. ECCE places are funded by the State; parents pay nothing for the ECCE hours.
AIM — Access and Inclusion Model: Government-funded supports that help children with disabilities or additional needs take part in the ECCE preschool programme. Includes equipment grants, capacity-building for staff, and one-to-one support hours.
Pobal: The state-funded company that administers many childcare programmes (NCS, ECCE, AIM) on behalf of the Department of Children. Pobal also publishes the annual Early Years Sector Profile, which is the source of the county-level fee, vacancy and waiting-list statistics shown on this site.
Naíonra: An Irish-medium preschool (literally "infants' centre"). Children spend their preschool years immersed in Irish through play and routine. There are roughly 200 naíonraí across Ireland; many are also ECCE-funded.
Crèche: Day-care for children from infants to preschool age, typically open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. all year round. On the Tusla register a crèche is usually classified as Full Day Care or a combination of Full Day, Part-Time and Sessional services.
Full Day Care: A Tusla service category covering 5+ hours of care per child per day. Most working parents need a full-day place. Fees are usually quoted per week.
Part-Time Day Care: More than 3.5 hours but less than 5 hours of care per day. Common for parents who only need afternoon or morning cover.
Sessional Pre-School: A short session of 3.5 hours or less, usually a single morning or afternoon. The classic ECCE preschool slot is sessional.
School Age Service (SAC): Out-of-school care for children attending primary school: typically before-school clubs, after-school clubs, and full-day camps during school holidays.
Childminder: A self-employed carer minding children in the childminder's own home. Since 2024, childminders looking after more than three pre-school children (or six in total) must register with Tusla. The voluntary register is gradually expanding.
Eircode: Ireland's postal code system, introduced in 2015. Each address has a unique 7-character code (e.g. D02 X285). Many providers list their Eircode so parents can find the exact location.
Universal subsidy: The non-means-tested NCS payment of €2.14 per hour towards childcare for any child between 6 months and 15 years in a Tusla-registered service. Capped at 45 hours/week if you're working or studying, 20 hours otherwise.
Income-assessed subsidy: An additional NCS top-up that depends on household reckonable income. Families earning up to €26,000 get the maximum rate; the rate phases out gradually up to €60,000, after which only the Universal subsidy applies.
Inspection report: Tusla inspects every registered service at least every two years and publishes the report on tusla.ie. Reports cover regulatory compliance (ratios, qualifications, child protection, premises). They are the most authoritative public information about a provider.
Adult-to-child ratios: Tusla regulations set the minimum number of staff for each age group. Examples: 1 adult per 3 children under 1 year; 1:5 for ages 1–2; 1:8 for ages 3–6 in a full-day setting; 1:11 for sessional preschool.
City/County Childcare Committee (CCC): There are 30 CCCs across the country. They are the local point of contact for parents and providers — they can help you find a vacancy, understand a subsidy, or resolve an issue with a provider. Find your CCC at myccc.ie.

Tusla: The Child and Family Agency, set up in 2014. Tusla is the independent statutory regulator for early-years childcare services in Ireland — every crèche, preschool, after-school club and registered childminder is on the Tusla register and is inspected periodically.
NCS — National Childcare Scheme: The single national subsidy scheme that helps parents pay for registered childcare. It has two parts: a Universal subsidy (€2.14/hour, no income test, for ages 6 months to 15 years) and an Income-Assessed subsidy (up to €3.75/hour extra, depending on household income and child's age).
ECCE — Early Childhood Care and Education: The free preschool scheme. Provides up to two free preschool years (3 hours/day, 5 days/week, 38 weeks/year) for children from age 2 years 8 months until they start primary school. ECCE places are funded by the State; parents pay nothing for the ECCE hours.
AIM — Access and Inclusion Model: Government-funded supports that help children with disabilities or additional needs take part in the ECCE preschool programme. Includes equipment grants, capacity-building for staff, and one-to-one support hours.
Pobal: The state-funded company that administers many childcare programmes (NCS, ECCE, AIM) on behalf of the Department of Children. Pobal also publishes the annual Early Years Sector Profile, which is the source of the county-level fee, vacancy and waiting-list statistics shown on this site.
Naíonra: An Irish-medium preschool (literally "infants' centre"). Children spend their preschool years immersed in Irish through play and routine. There are roughly 200 naíonraí across Ireland; many are also ECCE-funded.
Crèche: Day-care for children from infants to preschool age, typically open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. all year round. On the Tusla register a crèche is usually classified as Full Day Care or a combination of Full Day, Part-Time and Sessional services.
Full Day Care: A Tusla service category covering 5+ hours of care per child per day. Most working parents need a full-day place. Fees are usually quoted per week.
Part-Time Day Care: More than 3.5 hours but less than 5 hours of care per day. Common for parents who only need afternoon or morning cover.
Sessional Pre-School: A short session of 3.5 hours or less, usually a single morning or afternoon. The classic ECCE preschool slot is sessional.
School Age Service (SAC): Out-of-school care for children attending primary school: typically before-school clubs, after-school clubs, and full-day camps during school holidays.
Childminder: A self-employed carer minding children in the childminder's own home. Since 2024, childminders looking after more than three pre-school children (or six in total) must register with Tusla. The voluntary register is gradually expanding.
Eircode: Ireland's postal code system, introduced in 2015. Each address has a unique 7-character code (e.g. D02 X285). Many providers list their Eircode so parents can find the exact location.
Universal subsidy: The non-means-tested NCS payment of €2.14 per hour towards childcare for any child between 6 months and 15 years in a Tusla-registered service. Capped at 45 hours/week if you're working or studying, 20 hours otherwise.
Income-assessed subsidy: An additional NCS top-up that depends on household reckonable income. Families earning up to €26,000 get the maximum rate; the rate phases out gradually up to €60,000, after which only the Universal subsidy applies.
Inspection report: Tusla inspects every registered service at least every two years and publishes the report on tusla.ie. Reports cover regulatory compliance (ratios, qualifications, child protection, premises). They are the most authoritative public information about a provider.
Adult-to-child ratios: Tusla regulations set the minimum number of staff for each age group. Examples: 1 adult per 3 children under 1 year; 1:5 for ages 1–2; 1:8 for ages 3–6 in a full-day setting; 1:11 for sessional preschool.
City/County Childcare Committee (CCC): There are 30 CCCs across the country. They are the local point of contact for parents and providers — they can help you find a vacancy, understand a subsidy, or resolve an issue with a provider. Find your CCC at myccc.ie.