Tipp's childcare providers take part in Sing a Rainbow singalong

Childcare providers, parents and children are taking part in a Sing a Rainbow singalong, to mark National Childhood Services Week 2020 (NCSW 2020).

Taking place from June 15th to 19th, the childcare organisation has chosen the song Sing a Rainbow on account of the rainbow’s symbolism of the peace and calm after a storm, and the opportunity to start fresh.
With over 3,600 Tusla registered service-providers subscribed to the National Childhood Network (NCN), representing over 100,000 families around the country, the singalong is set to be one of the largest ever heard in Ireland.

Web-links are being provided so that the children from the NCN early years learning and school-age communities, accompanied their by parents and families, can loudly and confidently sing the song, together with childcare providers and staff, at 11am every morning from June 15th to 19th.

The theme of this year’s NCSW is ‘Connecting with Children and Families’ and it aims to illustrate and celebrate the incredible lengths childcare providers have gone to in recent months to stay in touch with the children in their charge and their parents.  

  
Many crèches have story-time on Facebook and sing-songs via Zoom on a daily basis, Denise McCormilla, CEO of the National Childhood Network (NCN) says. “Childcare workers regularly engage with families on different digital platforms, to help entertain and reassure the young ones, and most support parents with play and creative ideas, to help them cope with lockdown and home schooling.”

In recognition of the many positive ways that service providers and staff have connected with children and families during the Covid-19 crisis, the NCN will share photograph and video montages in a collective eBook and YouTube production during the dedicated week, to highlight the creative efforts involved.  

A call has gone out this week for Tipperary childcare providers to submit digital copies of the activities they have been involved in, as part of this celebration for National Childhood Services Week 2020.
It is a time of challenge and anxiety for many, not least childcare providers, Denise McCormilla, the NCN head said at today’s launch of NCSW 2020.

“But we wanted to show-off all the wonderful work taking place throughout our sector that too often goes unrecognised.  Already we have really inspiring accounts of how people are staying connected, and many tributes from families who appreciate their efforts.” 

 
A crèche owner in Cavan, living on a farm, made a series of videos of life on the farm for her former charges, showing what the farmer and all the animals were up to each day.  “That has to be a personal favourite, although there are many exceptional baking lessons, puppet shows and craft classes being uploaded every day,” Denise McCormilla adds.

NCN members have also been connecting with families by providing online access to a dedicated resource of play activities for young children, ‘Let the Children’, as well as regularly updating the NCN Play Hub Facebook page and the ‘First Five’ website to help parents build on their stock of play ideas.

More information on National Childhood Services Week 2020 is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/120375084659654/posts/3408657135831416/?sfnsn=mo, or childcare providers can call NCN on 047 72469 or contact info@ncn.ie.