VEC&FAS students- Free Childcare Places CETS

Postgrad10

Hi Parents,
Just thought you might be interested in this new scheme from the government.
Childcare places will be reserved for children of qualifying parents who are attending a FÁS training course or an educational programme administered by a Vocational Educational Committee (VEC). This covers full day care, half day care, and afterschool places and is for children of all ages in both community and private childcare facilities.

Moonbeam

Have you got a link?

Thanks

John Mason

errr...............i am in the process of putting up links to this in work at the moment - got distracted today by something

but i will post links tomorrow

EDIT : here is the link from the OMYCA website

http://omc.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/childcare/ECCE_Scheme_Pack/Terms_and_Conditions_CETS_Sept_2010.doc

your local county childcare committee will have all the information you need

Postgrad10

Thanks for the link Irishbird:). My local county childcare committiee has nothing on it as of yet but the IPPA have put up some useful questions to the OMCYA. www.ippa.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=266:cets&catid=128:cets&Itemid=149

babycheeks

Has anyone applied and got a place for their child in a creche on this scheme yet? I've just started a course today and I'm getting the runaround from my local VEC on this. :mad:

bonniefeeney

im the same as you baby cheeks. i start my course next week and was told in june by my local childcare commitee that i get a letter when i start the course and that my little one just automatically gets a place in the creche she is in. went to my local vec about it yesterday and was told all the places had already been given out and that there wasnt a hope of me getting one of them

Bananaramama

I started a VEC course (FETAC 5 Childcare) yesterday and was expecting to get my crèche fees paid via this scheme. I've been on to my local VEC about this for the last two weeks and they have now told me that it does not cover PLC courses!!! When I tried quizzing her on why etc she just got very vague and said that was what she was told. I'm a mature student on the back to Education scheme with 2 children. Does anybody know about the CETS scheme? Looking at the terms and conditions here it just says

"Childcare places will be reserved for children of qualifying parents who are attending a FÁS training course or an educational programme administered by a Vocational Educational Committee (VEC). Qualification for the scheme will be determined by FÁS and the VECs."

Does anyone know what the qualification criteria is? I can't believe I can't qualify somehow? Where can I get more info on this?

Thanks!

LashingLady

This thing is a bit of a shambles it looks like!! Those on Back to Education DON'T qualify, EVEN if you are single parent. To qualify you have to be on a VTOS course, or FAS or Youthreach (or CE scheme also). It's madness I know. My sis just started a course on BTE and we kinda just assumed that she qualified as she is single parent but last week was spent ringing various departments and visiting CWO only to be told by everyone that she doesn't qualify and that she can't have any help with childcare, only option is community subsidised creches, might be your best bet to look them up in your area......

I work in a VEC centre, and the centres only received information about this on Wednesday, and from what I can gather the "matching" process whereby places have been allocated to creches and then to centres is a mess, as all the places seem to be gone already.

snicdhonn

I am in the same boat as many of you and something needs to be done. I start a FAS course on Monday. I only got accepted to my course 2 weeks ago and the head of the preschool/crèche my 3 year old goes to was away till today. So I already knew I was eligible but didn't realise crèche's had to register and sign up for this scheme.

Turns out my sons crèche which is directly next door decided not to partake.. WHY? Well apparently they were allocated 5 spaces. They would of been paid whether the places were filled or not. The government is throwing money at them. The crèche turned it down as they could of ended up with an empty room that could not be used. So here I am stuck because the nearest registered crèche's are 20-30 miles all in the wrong direction.

My course starts at 8.30 and so it really is not feasible to go 20-30 miles out of my way. The course itself is 30 miles from my house. My youngest is only 10 months and I am uneasy with him being in a crèche as it is and was only going to put him in part time and his father would have him at the other times. I am a lone parent but thankfully the father of my children is very supportive when it comes to seeing the kids. He will be able to help out a bit if I don't get this sorted come Monday.

I rang my local CETS office and they informed me they are going to send a file to the government as they have had many complaints. They said basically they didn't expect to get the funds for the scheme and when they did it was rushed out the door with little coordination between FAS, VEC and Crèches.

Any Ideas how we can get this sorted? Maybe get on radio or something. It really is ridiculous. I am hoping at the induction on Monday I will get help there. And I hope to hear back from the CETS office by Monday too.