FAQ
General Information
The standard price is €22 per day for Junior and Senior Infants and €19 per day from fist class on-wards.
We have limited availability for one hour places from 13:20 until 14:20.
This service is charged at €25 per week.
We do not charge fees during school holidays.
1) Come for a visit to meet us and see our spaces
2) Complete the registration form
3) pay your €50 Registration fee and €50 deposit
Your registration fee and deposit can be enclosed with your registration form if you wish. All other fees are payable by bank transfer (e.g. standing order) on the first day of the month. Please Contact Johanna for the Bank details.
You will receive an automatic monthly invoice which is due on the first day of the month.
Your fees are averaged for the academic year to make your costs consistent.
Your fee total for the year is calculated in August and then divided into 10 equal invoices between September and June.
If your child is on a scheme such as ECCE or NCS, your deposit will be refunded following confirmation of your child’s public funding. All other parents receive a refund of their deposit when they sign their child out of Seedling Nature Schools. Please note that you must give one month’s notice if you wish to change or cancel your booking. Signing out mid-year may result in the deposit being lost.
You have first refusal on your child’s place at Seedling Nature Schools. Please confirm in May/June each year that you wish to return in August. To hold your place, we require September fees to be paid in July.
We go by the old saying that there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.
It is not necessary to send in fresh/clean gear each day. If your child’s pants or coat are dried over night, the mud can be shaken off and the gear can be used again. Here are some tips of how parents deal with wet or muddy conditions:
– it can be useful to have more than one set of gear. Cheap ones from Lidl or Aldi are fine.
– have a special bag or box in the car to hold the wet or dirty clothes
– have a set of dry clothes in the car in case your child leaves preschool or afterschool wet or cold
– leave enough time at pickup, to get out of the rain clothes
– have a towel or sheet ready for your child to sit on, if you don’t want them to get changed until you’re home
– encourage independence in your child, let them learn their own strategies of how to transition from muddy nature school to a clean car
– have a special hook/place where your child hangs up their gear each day
– collect dirty items throughout the week and do one muddy wash at the weekend
– have a strategy for remembering that your child needs to pack the gear again the next day
We have spares available at Seedling Nature Schools. So if they forget their gear some time, your child can still keep warm and happy.
Since 2021, Seedling has a purpose built, state of the art wooden building on the grounds of LETS Primary School. While our focus is on outdoor play, nature and forest school, we do go inside some of the time. Baking, some of our arts and music classes and homework usually take place indoors.
Seedling Nature Schools follow the LETS Primary School calendar. The ECCE preschool usually has one or two additional days in the spring. Depending on demand, we offer Forest School Camps during the holidays. These usually run for 3 hours per day.
Seedling is a sessional Preschool and Afterschool service. Preschool is open from 9:00 to 12:00. We do not offer additional hours of care outside the free ECCE provision. Afterschool opens at 13:20 and remains open until 18:00.
We conduct a comprehensive background check on all prospective employees and frequent visitors. The background check consists of Garda vetting and resumé checking.
On your registration form you can choose the level of permission you would like to give regarding your child’s pictures/videos. We respect your right and decision. Without the relevant permission we will do our utmost not to include your child in any close up, individual pictures where their face is showing. They may sometimes be photographed from behind or in a general group picture. If permission has been given, you will receive photographs and short videos of your child’s week. In order to respect the right of other families, you are requested never to forward or post on your own social media channels any picture / video which includes another child or adult.
We send newsletters via e-mail at important points throughout the year. All relevant information regarding policies is available on the website. For smaller updates and to give you an insight on your child’s experiences we send weekly updates and photos to a parent what’s app group. Preschool Parents have the option of requesting a book of photos, observations and samples of work to be collated. This will be shared for example during parent teacher meetings and sent home at Christmas and at the end of the year.
Free ECCE Places
Children will be supervised at all times. Please wait outside for your child.
Your child needs to bring a separate Afterschool Lunch which contains a healthy snack. Usually a separate box and bottle are best. Children are free to eat when they are hungry. As snacks are often eaten outside, it is usually best not to send food which needs to be heated. Fizzy drinks, crisps, chocolate etc are for home. Please choose a healthy option if you would like your child to have a treat in Afterschool.
Your child will be evaluated and treated immediately. You will be called right away if the injury is severe, or if your child needs to go home due to illness.
You can park at the school set down area (please do not drive past the pedestrian crossing) and drop off your child at 9 a.m. Most days, drop off is in outdoor gear at the Preschool garden with hands washed by the parent. On indoor days drop off is at the School door. Please be punctual so we can start our programme for the day on time.
Afterschool
We use fun, research-based, multi-sensory strategies to help children develop early learning skills. We use Responsive Classroom as the basis for our social and emotional learning curriculum throughout the school.
We welcome all children whatever their levels of skills and ability. We meet them where they are and support their learning and development from there. For those children who are not finished toilet training, we can work out an individual plan. Changing facilities are available inside if needed. Please get in touch with the teachers if we should be aware of any particular habits, needs or strategies in relation to toileting.
Kindergarten students have a rest time after lunch, which often includes a read aloud story time.
Parents can access information instantly about their child(ren)’s classroom activities, schedule, and plans through our website, which also provides access to family contact information and is where parents can update emergency contacts or the list of individuals allowed to pick up their child(ren).
Your child needs to bring a separate Afterschool Lunch which contains a healthy snack. Usually a separate box and bottle are best. Children are free to eat when they are hungry. As snacks are often eaten outside, it is usually best not to send food which needs to be heated. Fizzy drinks, crisps, chocolate etc are for home. Please choose a healthy option if you would like your child to have a treat in Afterschool.
Birthdays: If you would like to send in a Birthday treat, please discuss with the teachers beforehand.
Baking activities: We vary recipes and ingredients in order to achieve an inclusive overall programme. On occasion a food activity will include an ingredient which not all children can eat. So we can be prepared for those days, you may wish to drop in a labelled bag with a few special treats for your child’s particular dietary requirements.
LETS primary school children are picked up from their teacher. If there is enough demand, we can arrange a pickup from the Gaelscoil.
What happens if the weather is bad?
We are outside in sun, rain or snow. With suitable clothes for wet, cold or muddy conditions, we have the best time in any weather. It often looks much worse when looking at it through the windowpane. The only reason for calling off outdoor or forest school is during high winds. We use have our forest school assessment system when a storm is forecast and decide on a case by case basis whether to go inside or not.
Forest Camps
Kindergarten students have access to a playground. Kindergarten classes have lunch and recess together.
You may drop your child off in the school driveway as early as 7:30 am, 20 minutes before school. . Supervision is provided every morning.
We recommend that parents walk their children to the door for least the first few days of school.
Additional information is available on our Arrival and Dismissal Procedures page.
Co-operative play is something we truly value. But it has to be learned, as well as appeal to our social instincts… The best way to achieve this is by copying what we see. Therefore, our nursery teachers and educators model play and co-operate whenever they can, so the kids get a sense of what it looks like. Taking turns, acting gently, speaking in a kind manner: all of these are examples of positive reinforcement. Soon enough, the play will start to diffuse social tension as a result.
Additional Care
Seedlings’s teachers design specific curriculum, so children get structure and socialisation! Our teachers are loving, attentive, smart and cater to the group!
Our locations have both different hours and different services, but all have flexible care for the ease of parents!
To be decided
The front door five minutes prior to the start of the day.
New Programs
Students have access to a playground. All classes have lunch and recess together.
All class lists will be posted before the start of sessions.
You may drop your child off in the school driveway as early as 7:30 am, 20 minutes before school.
Student Opportunities
Yes, we welcome students on Transition Year, FETAC, Forest School and College Placements.
1) Please get in touch via e-mail or phone.
2) We recommend that you come for a visit before you decide to do your placement with us.
3) We request garda vetting, two references and insurance cover from our students. This is usually organised through your institution.
We find that some of the most important attributes of students are enthusiasm, engagement and proactivity. You also need to be ready for the weather with rain pants, boots, coat, hat and warm layers. You may need extra water and snacks compared to normal, as the fresh air usually gives people a good appetite. If you are ever unsure about anything at all, please ask!