This branch opened in Bayside in April 2003, to a much needed demand in the area for flexible and quality childcare. This was at a time when families were returning to the area, and needed a reliable option where their children could be cared for in a home from home environment. Starting as two classrooms, we have steadily grown to accommodate the changing community with many, many young people filling our classrooms! Kids Klubs has been delighted to become so embedded in this community, and now we have a thriving and noisy pre-school and after school club that has proudly supported families year after year.

• Manager : Leanne Harding
• Opening Hours : 7.45am - 6.15pm
• Telephone : 01 839 5862 | Email : leanne@kidsklubs.ie
• Address : Bayside Leisure Centre, Bayside Square, Sutton, Dublin 13.

Many families will remember Kids klubs as the old snooker halls, but it certainly looks different now! We have three large and spacious classrooms that are crammed with the children’s art and ideas, and an activity area for the messier play that takes place all day long. (Note to new parents: don’t send your child in their Sunday best!). We spend a lot of time out and about getting to know our community and utilise the large green areas for exploring and questioning the world around us. This access to the community is a valuable part of our curriculum.

Pre-School (2.5 – 5 years)

Children typically start with us shortly before their 3rd birthday, depending on when they are toilet trained. We work together with the parent to create a settling in routine that makes the transition from home to pre-school, as soft as possible. The teachers will talk to you about your child’s personality and how well they respond in new situations. We have lots of experience with settling children into our environment, but you know your child the best.

By approximately three years old, your child is now readily making connections and understanding boundaries. Through play and an interest-led curriculum, we encourage your child to build relationships with the other children and carers, and question the world around them. For one child, this may mean building confidence, or learning appropriate actions and words when supporting emotional regulation.

The curriculum is prepared with the different needs of the group considered, and delivered through positive reinforcement. Families receive a monthly curriculum plan and newsletter through email, and we welcome any input – especially if you have a skill or interest to offer that is evident in our daily plans.

This age is also typically when children tend to engage in longer periods of concentration, express individual preferences, and show empathy. We respond to this growth with a more structured routine involving positive language and actions. Activities and materials are age and stage appropriate with direct aims and indirect objectives.

This challenging environment will stimulate your child, and the early educators will continually observe and monitor their progress to further extend personal interests. This progress is documented through observation and photographs, which are recorded in individual Aistear Learning Journals, a scrap book where the teacher collects and comments on your child’s development throughout the year, and an art folder, which your child will take home each Friday.

The Aistear Framework is complimented with a fully qualified Montessori teacher, where contextual learning is a priority. We shy away from repetitive worksheets to provide learning opportunities through play. Playing ‘shop’ creates many opportunities to use mathematical language and understanding, and we learn about letters by going out into the community with a camera and mark-making materials, to find the letters on road signs, car registrations, or drain covers!

Each week, we engage in many fun games and role-play, with the Fantastic Friday theme. This is detailed on your monthly plan, and may include something as simple as Spots and Stripes Day, to the Winter Olympics! Staff and children (and the odd parent!), dress up and make for a noisy and energetic end to the busy week.

After-School Club

At Kids Klubs, we are lucky most families continue on from the pre-school service we offer, to the breakfast and after-school club. Many use this service throughout their entire primary education, and then often return to complete work experience during transition year! We have been fortunate enough to build trusting relationships with families for more than a decade, and the children in our care experience consistency, as well as spending time with their extended families, as we often have several siblings, cousins, and close family friends also attending.

The breakfast club starts at 7.45 am and children come along with their breakfast and a toothbrush, and enjoy a social breakfast, before brushing their teeth and heading off to primary school. We offer drop off and collection from Bayside National School.

The after-school club is split into two groups: one for Junior and Senior Infants, and the second for children in 1st – 6th class. We plan monthly for these groups, with the emphasis being on messy arts and crafts, and stimulating activities that are rarely experienced at primary school. We wish for the children to be able to complete their homework in an relaxed environment with the support of the after-school teachers, before they have an afternoon tea, provided by the parent, and then off the local basketball courts or green areas for some fresh air and physical games.

We want your child to unwind from the structure of primary school and view Kids Klubs as a home-from-home environment, where their questions and views are responded to in a respectful way. Responsibility is a large part of the after-school club so the children are involved in as much as the planning and preparation of their daily routine as possible.