An award winning early years’ service in Blackrock and Farranree, Cork where children are seen as beautiful individuals, nurtured and encouraged to thrive.
Childhood Matters Early Years has been delivering high-quality childcare in Cork since 2004. We currently operate two purpose-built settings — in Blackrock and Farranree — offering a warm, play-based learning environment grounded in the Aistear Early Childhood Curriculum Framework and Síolta National Quality Standards.
Blackrock provides full-day and part-time childcare 51 weeks of the year, with eligible families able to access both the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. ECCE subsidy applies for 38 weeks/182 days)
Farranree offers a 38-week ECCE preschool programme, providing children with a high-quality early learning experience during the ECCE term. (Subsidy applied for 38 weeks/182 days)
With over 30 years of experience supporting children and families, we take the time to truly know each child — their interests, strengths, and stage of development. That deep understanding of how children grow and learn helps every child feel valued, confident, and supported to develop at their own pace.
We take the time to know each child as an individual. By understanding their interests, strengths and stage of development, we help every child feel valued, confident and supported to grow at their own pace.
Our educators work in line with Aistear, Ireland's Early Childhood Curriculum Framework, and Síolta, the National Quality Framework for Early Years Educators.
These frameworks guide how we support each child's social, emotional, physical, language and cognitive development — through responsive, play-based, child-led practice that meets recognised national standards
Our unique outdoor environments give children daily opportunities to explore, discover and learn through nature. Outdoor play encourages curiosity, resilience, confidence and a lifelong connection with the natural world.
Many of our educators have been with us for over a decade. Long-standing relationships between staff, children, and families are at the heart of what makes our service feel like home.
Childhood Matters Early Years welcomes children aged 1–6 years, and up to 9 years in our Camp Programme (subject to demand).
We welcome all children regardless of gender, ethnic origin, language, culture, disability, or children with additional support needs.
Parents are advised to submit enquiries through the website, but can also enquire by phone, email, or by contacting the Service Manager directly to arrange a visit.
A member of the management team will confirm receipt of the enquiry.
Minimum enrolment is 3 days per week (part-time or full-time).
Where necessary, a waiting list is operated by the Service Manager.
Siblings are given priority, subject to availability.
Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis, depending on availability and the type of care required.
Booking types vary between rooms and may change depending on operational needs.
Places can only be confirmed once the relevant form and deposit have been received.
Once registration has been approved, parents will be contacted to discuss settling-in and start dates.
Before the commencement of the placement, children can avail of a settling-in period which provides for a part-time stay in the crèche.
Settling-in sessions usually begin at approximately 1 hour per day and gradually build up depending on the child’s needs and comfort levels.
This process usually takes place over one week and can extend to a maximum of two weeks if required.
During the settling-in period, parents are welcome to remain within the service if they wish, while practitioners support their child in becoming familiar with the room and daily routine. As each child settles differently, the length of time a parent remains on the premises is entirely their choice and will be guided by what works best for the child and family.
The settling-in period is free of charge.
Please note there is no settling period offered for Afterschool or Sessional Care (Pre-school).
National Childcare Scheme (NCS): Learn more
Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE): Learn more
National Childcare Scheme (NCS)
Learn More
Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE)
Learn More
We believe parents are partners in their child's education. Each child has a dedicated key worker, and daily updates are shared through our childcare app, Child Paths. We hold parent/teacher meetings and keep communication open, honest, and warm.
We provide good-quality, low-processed warm meals in line with our healthy eating policy. Dietary and religious requirements are always accommodated. Parents in sessional rooms are asked to bring healthy snacks in line with our policy.
All staff are fully qualified childcare professionals, Garda vetted, and up to date with mandatory training, including Paediatric First Aid, Fire Safety, Manual Handling, and HACCP. We also have qualified First Aid Responders (FAR) and LINC Coordinators within our team. We are committed to investing in our staff through ongoing training and Continuous Professional Development (CPD), ensuring high standards of care, safety, and early childhood education.
Daily risk assessments are carried out across indoor and outdoor areas. CCTV is in operation throughout the premises, with security checks maintained consistently. All staff have completed Children First e-learning.
As part of Childhood Matters, our Early Years team benefits from the knowledge, experience and child-centred ethos of an organisation that has been supporting children and families for more than 30 years.
Drawing on expertise in childcare, operations and organisational leadership, the team works together to ensure a safe, nurturing, well managed and continually evolving to meet the needs of children and families.
Their shared focus is simple: creating environments where every child feels valued supported and able to thrive.
Calem is a senior clinical psychologist with extensive experience supporting children and families with complex needs. As CEO, he leads the continued development of Childhood Matters, combining clinical understanding with a strong commitment to improving services and outcomes for children, young adults and families.
Leading the day-to-day delivery of our Early Years Services and supporting our educators to provide exceptional care and learning experiences.
Supporting families, admissions and service operations to ensure a welcoming and seamless experience for parents and children.
As a family, we couldn't be happier with the experience we have had. The care is thoughtful, nurturing and warm. The environment created for the kids is so special especially the encouragement for being outdoors. My third child is now in the Crèche and his two older sisters have been through the Crèche and pre-school. Our kids have all thrived here and it is constantly reassuring to see the consistent level of care over the years. The staff take time to get to know each child as an individual and the relationships that the staff build with the children and families is truly special. My son is currently in the Ladybird room so a special mention to Mary and the incredible team, he runs in the door each morning. We are incredibly grateful for the positive role the Crèche and staff has played in our childrens early years. Thank you
"We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone at Childhood Matters Preschool for making AJ’s first year so special.
After a difficult start at a different preschool, we were so grateful to find such a caring, professional, and high-standard environment for our son. From the very beginning, the team made AJ feel safe, happy, and supported.
A special thank you goes to Catherine, who AJ absolutely adores. We hear wonderful stories about her every day at home how kind, funny, and caring she is. It is clear how much she means to him and how much effort she puts into helping the childrens learn and grow.
We are incredibly thankful for everything you have done for AJ this year. Seeing him so excited to go to preschool each day means the world to us.
Thank you for making this first year such a positive and memorable experience. We can’t wait to see what next year brings!"
"We have had two children with childhood matters Crèche & ecce bessborough since age 1yrs. My oldest has moved on and my youngest is due to begin ecce next year. We have had a fantastic experience with all the staff in childhood matters. There is a big focus on learning, play and outdoors. Facilities and food are brilliant. Every staff member we have engaged with over the years has been great. My youngest gets so excited to go to ""school"" every day and my oldest still talks about his classes and teachers/ friends.
The shows they did and the graduation on the final year are lifelong memories. Very thankful my children got to grow in the Crèche and would recommend to all. "
"Childhood Matters is truly a very special place. One of my children joined when she was four years old, and thanks to the kindness and support of the staff, she settled in extremely quickly. My son also started Crèche here, and I will never forget how much the team cared—not just for him, but for our whole family.
It is clear how much the staff genuinely love and care for each child, and they take a truly family-first approach. They are kind, proactive, generous, and deeply committed to what they do. They are also highly qualified professionals who deserve to be recognised as the educators they are, working in an incredibly important stage of child development.
I cannot recommend Childhood Matters highly enough. Any child would be lucky to grow and learn in such a nurturing environment."
We have been lucky enough for three of our children to have attended Childhood Matters and we couldn't be happier with the care they have received. The staff are warm, caring, and dedicated, creating a safe and happy environment where children can thrive. Our children have loved attending, and we have always had complete confidence in the team. We would highly recommend them to any family looking for excellent childcare.
We couldn’t be happier with the crèche, our son runs in the door in the morning and doesn’t want to leave when we collect him. The staff are amazing always so pleasant and take such great care of the kids. The freedom they have is amazing and when the weathers good the children spend all their time in the beautiful garden. We genuinely couldn’t fault a thing.
Childhood Matters has played a massive role in our child growth, confidence, and social skills. The learning opportunities they provide are engaging, creative, and perfectly tailored to early childhood development. The educators are professional, approachable, and always communicative about our child's progress. They create a supportive atmosphere that makes both children and parents feel valued. We are so grateful for the excellent care and guidance our child receiving here. Thank you.
"We couldn't be happier with our experience at Childhood Matters. Our daughter absolutely loves attending and looks forward to it every day. One of the things we value most is the emphasis on outdoor play and learning. The children are outside as often as possible, exploring, discovering, and having fun in the wonderful gardens and outdoor spaces. In fact, she's often so covered in mud after a busy day of adventures that her clothes need a 60-degree wash when she gets home!
The care, kindness, friendliness and dedication shown by all the staff are second to none. We have always felt that our daughter is genuinely cared for. The nurturing environment, combined with the fantastic outdoor experiences, has helped her grow in confidence, independence, and curiosity. We are incredibly grateful to the entire team and would highly recommend Childhood Matters to any family looking for an exceptional Early Years setting.
My daughter has been attending Childhood Matters early years since July 2025, she was 13 months when she started. As a first time parent I found the transition of being her full time carer to handing her over to new people a very anxious period of time, however the Crèche manager and team members were always available to discuss any concerns and help me feel at ease, everyone is super friendly and approachable. The grounds are fabulous, the kids have so much outdoor space considering its a city location. The communication is very strong via the child path app and in person, the team are extremely professional and supportive. For any parent it's a challenging time handing over your precious child however I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the care and kindness my daughter has received.
Since Kenzi started at Childhood Matters Crèche in Farranree, last September, she has absolutely thrived. Her speech has come on so quickly, and she’s so much more outgoing now. Emma and all the girls are just fantastic—they are always so happy to see the kids in the mornings and are really quick to let us know if theres any problems (which is extremely rare), and we love seeing Kenzi’s progress in the app. She adores imaginative play, and we couldn’t be happier with how she’s growing and learning!
Since Kenzi started at Childhood Matters Crèche in Farranree, last September, she has absolutely
thrived. Her speech has come on so quickly, and she’s so much more outgoing now. Emma and all the
girls are just fantastic—they are always so happy to see the kids in the mornings and are really quick
to let us know if theres any problems (which is extremely rare), and we love seeing Kenzi’s progress
in the app. She adores imaginative play, and we couldn’t be happier with how she’s growing and
learning!
A fantastic crèche with caring, attentive staff and an incredible outdoor space. The children have so many opportunities to play, explore, and learn outdoors in a safe and stimulating environment. We are delighted with the level of care and would highly recommend it.
We believe parents are partners in their child’s education. Each child has a dedicated key worker, and daily updates are shared through our childcare app, Child Paths. We hold parent/teacher meetings and keep communication open, honest, and warm.
We provide good-quality, low-processed warm meals in line with our healthy eating policy. Dietary and religious requirements are always accommodated. Parents in sessional rooms are asked to bring healthy snacks in line with our policy.
All staff are fully qualified childcare professionals, Garda vetted, and up to date with mandatory training (Paediatric First Aid, Fire Safety, Manual Handling, HACCP). Qualified LINC coordinators are on site. We invest in ongoing continuous professional development.
Daily risk assessments are carried out across indoor and outdoor areas. CCTV is in operation throughout the premises, with security checks maintained consistently. All staff have completed Children First e-learning.
