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FAQ
- 01
At Laochra Academy, we believe that every child’s voice should be heard. Through our commitment to high quality care, we create a nurturing and engaging space. As an essential part of the local community, we provide before and after- school care at a time when services are needed.
- 02
Each afternoon, there’s a wide range of exciting activities to choose from. If you enjoy being creative, you can join art , where we explore painting, drawing, and crafts. For those who love to stay active, there are various sports sessions, including football, basketball, dodgeball. If you're into building and inventing, then LEGO is perfect — we design amazing structures and even try LEGO challenges. If you're curious about how things work, science offers fun experiments and hands-on investigations. And if performing is your thing, our drama group gives you the chance to act, play games, and maybe even rehearse for a play!
- 03
Our opening and closing times may vary depending on the specific School. We recommend visiting the locations section of our website to find the most accurate and up-to-date information for each school.
- 04
Yes, we provide a nutritious, healthy snack each afternoon. The snack includes a balanced range of fruits, vegetables, dairy, carbohydrates, and meat, ensuring children receive the energy and nutrients they need to stay focused and active throughout the afternoon. All options are carefully selected to support their well-being and development.
- 05
Laochra Academy proudly operates across five school locations in Co.Cavan: St. Clare’s Primary School, Killygarry National School, Farnham National School, Drumkilly National School, and Castletara National School. For specific details about each school's address and offerings, we recommend visiting our Website. There, you'll find comprehensive information to help you choose the location that best suits your needs.
- 06
For the safety and security of all children, we require written permission in the event that someone other than the agreed authorised person will be collecting your child. Alternatively, the individual must be added to the approved collection list in advance. Without prior written consent or verification on the approved list, we will not be able to release your child to that person. This policy is in place to ensure the well-being of every child in our care.
- 07
Yes, our holiday care bookings are not mandatory and instead are offered as an additional service to regular term time bookings.
We offer half-day and full-time childcare options during school holidays, which includes October mid-term, February mid-term, Easter holiday and Summer holiday programmes. Our themed holidays programmes are enjoyed by all. See our Holiday Programmes for upcoming camp details.
- 08
Yes, our service does close at certain times throughout the year. We are closed on bank holidays, during the Christmas period, and for one week during the summer holidays. These closures allow our team time to rest and reset, ensuring we continue to provide the highest quality of care and activities throughout the year.
- 09
We send invoices every 4 weeks to keep fee payments clear and manageable. Our primary payment method is by Direct Debit, which can be set up easily on completion of our Direct Debit mandate.
If you are not paying by Direct Debit, each invoice will include our bank transfer details for your convenience. When making a payment, please use your unique account code as the payment reference; this code can be found just above your name on the invoice. Using the correct reference helps us to quickly and accurately allocate your payment.
- 10
If you need to make changes or cancel your service, please reach out to our team as soon as possible; at a minimum we require two weeks' written notice.
- 11
On days where the school day ends early, we commence our normal after school service at the earlier time of 12 o’clock to accommodate our current service users, and we do so at no additional charge.
- 12
You can collect your child anytime before 5:30pm. Currently, we do not offer hourly bookings in an effort to maintain the correct staff child ratio throughout the afternoon. If you book your child in for the afternoon, whether they are in attendance for one or multiple hours, that is a space that another child will not be able to avail of.
- 13
You can do this quickly and easily through our parent portal. You will see a tab ‘Bookings’ when you log in to your account.
Click ‘New booking’.
Select the child name you wish to make the booking for (one or multiple).
Select the pick up time
Select your booking week and day/days.
Send a request.
If we have space available we will approve your booking.
Please note, the portal will only allow bookings prior to the week commencing, so up until Sunday evening before.
- 14
Yes, we offer sibling discounts for term time bookings. We offer a 10% discount for the 2nd child and 15% discount for additional children.
- 01
Yes, we are registered with TUSLA and therefore eligible for the NCS.
- 02
The National Childcare Scheme provides subsidies to help parents meet the cost of quality Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare. It will replace all previous targeted childcare support programmes with a single, streamlined and user friendly Scheme.
Under the National Childcare Scheme, subsidies are available for families with children aged between 24 weeks and 15 years who are attending any participating Tusla registered childcare service, including any Tusla registered childminder and school age childcare services.
- 03
The Hive is the online portal where you can apply for the NCS and approve any claims Laochra Academy submit for you. All claims we submit for you need to be “approved” by you in order to be applied to your childcare bill.
- 04
You can apply online on this website using a verified MyGovID by clicking on the 'Sign In' tab at the top of the screen. If you need help with the application process you can read our Application Form Guide or you can contact the NCS Parent Support Centre on 01 906 8530 open Monday to Friday from 9am – 5pm. You may also apply via Post- Please see link for further details for postage.
- 05
Yes, everyone is entitled to receive a subsidy. There are two types of Subsidy available.
Universal Subsidy: This subsidy is available to all working parents and is not means-tested. It provides a fixed subsidy amount per hour of childcare and is applicable to children aged between 6 months (24 weeks) and 15 years.
Income-Assessed Subsidy: This subsidy is means-tested and available to families based on their annual reckonable income. The amount of subsidy is determined by the family's income, the age of the child, and their educational stage.
- 06
No, you can apply for either a Universal or Income Assessed subsidy if you are not working. The number of subsidised hours available to you each week will depend on whether you (and your partner if you have one) are working, studying or training.
- 07
Using your CHICK code for the NCS Subsidy is super easy! All you need to do is send us your CHICK code, and we’ll take care of the rest. We’ll use it to register your subsidy on our end, so you don’t need to worry about a thing.
- 08
Yes, you will be issued with an expiry date for your CHICK code. You will need to renew your CHICK code once it reaches that date. We highly recommend renewing it before it expires to ensure there’s no disruption in applying your subsidy against your billing. Keeping it up to date helps us continue processing your fees accurately and smoothly.