Witches, Goblins, and Ghosts – Oh my!

Christmas is a fun time of year for children and their families.

We are currently hiring experienced childcare staff for roles in our centres located in Dublin, Kildare and Meath.

We love Halloween in Giraffe! The children and staff alike love decorating the centres and dressing up and really getting into the spirit of the spooky season! Each centre held a Halloween party and the children were delighted to dress up and see their carers dress up! For some of the younger children,  it was […]

Wobbler care Seminar – Giraffe Training Academy   Giraffe Childcare’s Training Academy hosted a training day in May 2018 for 60 of our childcare practitioners with a focus on interactions with children in the Wobbler age group –  1 to 2 year olds. It was very educational day,  and we all enjoyed sharing ideas on curriculum […]

Last Saturday, Giraffe Childcare’s Training Academy hosted a training day for 40 baby group carers. Our senior crèche managers acted as our in-House workshop facilitators on the day, and the group broke up into smaller workshops for the afternoon. The topics ranged from preparing the learning environment for young infants, to curriculum planning and effective communication. A […]

Our wellbeing week was full of activities running across all of our centres, including the LunchtimeMile, healthy eating and wellbeing initiatives.

All of our centres were full of creativity and inspiration last week leading up to the festivities of Easter. The centres took part in our annual Easter project where they were all provided with an Easter pack of art supplies to allow the children explore and express their own creativity. As part of our Reach […]

Mindfulness for children is about awareness of their thoughts, well-being and feelings.

Lá fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh go Léir! ☘️ Celebrating our national day makes us all feel proud to be Irish, and it allows the children to gain a better understanding of Irish culture and traditions (Aistear themes, Identity & Belonging).St. Patrick’s Day is an exciting time for all children! In the run up to the day, […]

Learning to Learn Every Day All of our centres are currently hosting parent developmental evenings. The parent evenings are an excellent opportunity for parents to discuss these records with their child’s key carers, and to look at their child’s holistic development linked to the Aistear curriculum themes : ·         Exploring and Thinking ·         Well Being ·        […]

Halloween is the time when scary skeletons, spooky ghosts and wicked witches roam the world. All of the Giraffe centres enjoyed the build up to Halloween last week, and the children and staff certainly got into the spirit of the festivities! The children were delighted to dress up for the whole day for their Halloween parties. For […]

Starting way back in the 8th century, dressing up and playing tricks is a Halloween tradition!

Halloween is just around the corner and it’s time to prepare! Whether you’re invited to a party, you’re planning on going trick or treating, or whether you’ll just be hanging out at home, kids just love to dress up for this special occasion. Here are some ideas for easy homemade costumes that won’t break the […]

Here are the highlights from our Summer Festivals in 2017!

Congratulations to the 2017 Preschool Graduates! Here are some photos that capture the excitement of the most recent celebrations.

Learning through play

The workshops covered topics such as play-based learning, transitions for children moving rooms, and a wide range of skills demonstrations modules to promote best practice in care for the Wobbler age group

Peter’s story-time tradition started after our Leopardstown centre held their annual Grandparents Day in September & invited the children’s grannies and granddads to join them for games and activities.

The children were all very egg-cited when a special Easter visitor hopped into our creches last week!

Giraffe Childcare were proud to participate in #WorkWell17 to help improve employee health through promoting better nutrition and physical activity.

Some helpful travel tips

Every year in the month of March, Giraffe children and staff spend an entire day in their comfy pyjamas!

The Carers and children at Childcare Liffey Valley held a special charity day in aid of A Princess called Emily.

Staying fit as a Family

At Giraffe, we believe that through a commitment to our role as carers and educators me make a positive difference to the lives of families, a children, our community and each other.

Every year in October, ISPCC Childline host a fundraising event called Cheerios Breakfast.  It is a fun charity breakfast which is hosted across the country to help support the ISPCC Childline services which answers calls from children in need across Ireland 24 hours a day. This year the event ran from 17 – 21st of […]

Giraffe Training Academy  – Toddler Staff Workshop Last Saturday, Giraffe Childcare’s Training Academy hosted a training day for 63 practitioners with Lillian and Carol from Early Childhood Ireland, delivering workshops on Facilitating Play Based Learning. Our senior crèche managers acted as our In-House workshop facilitators on the day, and covered a wide range of topics on Managing Children’s […]

What is Heuristic Play?

Weaning on to Solid foods

Tips for Toilet Training

Giraffe Training Academy  – Wobbler Staff Workshop Giraffe Childcare’s Training Academy hosted a training day for 75 practitioners on Saturday with Lillian and Carol from Early Childhood Ireland, delivering a session on Facilitating Play Based Learning.  There were also a range of skills demonstrations modules delivered by some of Giraffe’s senior crèche managers to promote best practice in […]

Our step by step guide to pumpkin Carving with the family!

The Affordable Childcare Scheme is currently available for ‘FIS’,  Medical Card holders and One-Parent families. It is also available to Adult Learners enrolled in VTOS or ETB courses.

Tips for preventing cold and flus this winter

Summer is festival time in Giraffe! The children look forward to the Summer Festivals every year, and every Giraffe Centre hosts different events through the summer months. This year, we saw Teddy Bear Picnics, Jungle Days, Magic Shows & Magicians, Beach days, Family BBQs and much much more! We have as many fun outdoor activities […]

“It takes a big heart to help shape growing minds”. (Anon) Every morning, the pitter-patter of tiny feet and the sound of joyful little voices resonate around the rooms at Giraffe Childcare. Every morning, the carers, chefs and staff teams welcome the children and families at their centre with energy and enthusiasm for the upcoming […]

If you really want to break the cycle of rivalry and children clashing with one another, allow them to pick activities that they can do together.

Here’s a great idea to make use of the pumpkin flesh after carving your pumpkin. These are a lovely treat for a Halloween party too. You will need: Pumpkin puree (from one large pumpkin) 250g Self Raising Flour 150g Caster Sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp all spice […]

There’s great news for parents of pre-school children with the announcement of the extension of the free pre-school year in the budget yesterday. From September 2016, every child will be eligible at the age of three until they start primary school which has greatly increased access; and pre-school aged children will be able to enrol […]

Starting school is an exciting time for you and your child

Supporting a clingy child

Preparing your child for a new arrival

Dealing with Biting

Understanding Nutrition