FAQs
What is the settling in policy?
We want to make the settling in stage as easy and as comfortable as possible for you and your child. Our settling in sessions commence from your child’s enrolled start date and sessions would typically run for a child’s first 3 days, children would attend an hour the first day, two hours the second day and four hours on their third day. During the settling in sessions, we will spend valuable time with your child, getting to know his/her routine, likes and dislikes and it allows your child to slowly adjust to their new environment before attending a full day with us. Billing commences from a child’s enrolled start date.
Children attending pre-school sessional care will have a settling in period from 9.30am-11.30am each day for their first week when they commence care.
Will my baby have to change his/her routine before commencing crèche?
We will adapt to your baby's routine. If your baby likes to sleep 3 times per day, we will facilitate this. We will consult with you before your baby starts with us and become familiar with your babies routine. The older children begin to follow a similar routine as they adapt to the crèche setting.
What do I need to provide?
Bottle - Soother & Container - Nappies - Nappy Cream - Nappy Wipes -
Change of Clothes - Water Beaker
Parents must make the milk bottles at home and cool them fully before bringing them to the crèche. The Educarer’s will store the bottles in the fridge and they will heat them with a bottle warmer before feeding.
All items should be clearly labelled.
What are the staff/child ratios?
The child and adult ratios are set out by the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016. All of our crèches meet the ratio requirements.
Links Childcare employ additional Edcuarers at each crèche to support our staff to cover nappy changing, lunch breaks and busy times throughout the day.
If our Educarers have to take time off work due to illness, we have several relief staff on-call who are available to work.
Can I leave a buggy or car seat in the crèche during the day?
Unfortunately not. We do not have any facilities to store buggies or car seats in any of our crèches. Thank you.
Are staff Paediatric First Aid trained?
Yes, the majority of our staff are paediatric first aid trained. We run frequent first aid training courses for our staff. Any staff who join the company are invited to attend first aid training courses. We also provide re-fresher training for staff when required.
If my child has a dietary requirement or allergy, can you cater for this?
Yes, parents must inform the crèche manager during the settling in period if your child has any dietary requirement or food preference. Our on-site chefs are always more than happy to cater for your child’s specific needs.
Parents are welcome to meet with our on-site chefs to discuss our menu and their child’s food preference or special dietary requirements. Our chefs will also provide you with recipes at your request, especially if your child/ren has a favourite dish at crèche!
Is there a deposit required to secure a child’s place?
A booking deposit of €800 (except €500 for Balbriggan location) is required along with a completed application form before a child’s place is secured. The deposit is held as a Notice Period Prepayment and is used as a payment on a child’s account prior to cessation of care and in line with the notice period.
In the event of a booked place not being taken up and/or being cancelled by you prior to your child commencing care the deposit will be forfeit and therefore non-refundable.
What happens if my child is sick while attending crèche?
If your child becomes sick while attending the crèche, our crèche manager will call you.
We will monitor your child closely during this time. Depending on your child’s form and level of temperature we might have to ask you to collect him/her from crèche.
Please refer to our Exclusion of Sick Children Policy.
What happens each morning when I drop my child off at crèche?
It is the policy of Links Childcare to give a warm welcome to all our children upon arrival into the centre.
Entry to the centre is operated by a finger image or facial recognition system on a magnetic release door. Links Childcare staff members and parents are only permitted to use the finger image or faical recognition system.
Your child will be greeted by our warm and friendly staff each morning. If your child arrives before 8.30am he/she will usually have breakfast in our dining area/activity street. The children move into the childcare rooms from 8.30am.
What is your collection procedure?
The Crèche Manager meets with the parent or guardian before the child enrolls in the crèche in order to clarify whether s/he will be collected by a parent, guardian or other relative.
This information is recorded on the registration form and any change must be notified to the Crèche Manager.
Parents are welcome to pick up their children directly from their rooms. We operate an open door policy at Links so parents can enter the crèche at anytime to check in on their child. At pick-up our Educarers will tell you all about your child’s day. Prepare to go home with their latest masterpiece!
Does my child need to be toilet trained before starting in the Pre-School Room?
When is my child eligible for the ECCE grant?
What dates do the creche close during the year?
How do I join your waiting list?
How do I know what number I am on your waiting list?
No, we do not set a specific age for your child to be toilet trained. We would encourage all children transitioning to the pre-school room to be actively toilet training, however, our Educarers are fully trained to support your child when he/she is ready to start toilet training. Let your child take their time during this important stage in their life.
If your child was born between 1st January 2021 and 31st December 2022, he/she should be eligible to avail of the ECCE grant for this calendar year September 2025 - June 2026 as part of his/her enrolled pre-school care. Please click HERE for clarification on eligibility from Early Childhood Ireland.
All creches are closed on Public Holidays and we are also closed from 2pm 23rd Dec 2025 - 2nd Jan 2026 (inclusive), reopening 5th January 2026
These dates are updated and communicated to parents/guardians each year.
To check availability in any of our creche locations please click the 'Get in touch' button located in the top right hand corner of this webpage, complete the enquiry form and a member of our Admissions Team will be in touch to confirm if we have availability and if we don't we will share a link with you to join our waiting list.
Please be advised that your name will be removed from our waiting list 3 months following date of entry. If you wish to renew your entry following this three month period you must complete the waiting list form again via the link previously provided. When you are renewing your entry please note this in the comments section of the form.
We would operate a separate priority list for siblings and children looking to transfer between our creches.
If we share a link with you to our waiting list this unfortunately means that we were unable to offer you a place. We cannot provide updates on our waiting list as we wouldn't have visibility of when a place might become available as this will depend on another child leaving the service. Should a parent/guardian's requested care become available we would be in touch. Please be advised that we do not operate a numbering system, once a place becomes available the place will be offered to the child matching the key criteria of the available place such as a child's date of birth and requested care. Please refer to our waiting list policy for further details.