Welsh Medium childcare settings offer many types of childcare, such as Full Day Care, Sessional Care or Out of School Care. The most common type of Welsh medium childcare are often known as a Cylch Meithrin.
A Cylch Meithrin setting typically operates from a non-domestic site, such as a community centre, church or school building. Cylch Meithrin settings typically take children between the ages of 2 – 5.
Cylchoedd Meithrin typically provide sessions up to 4 hours of continuous care for a child in any one day, and some offer two sessions per day – mornings and afternoons. Many Cylchoedd Meithrin have extended their hours to offer lunch time care for nursery aged children, or to provide before and after school care.
To work in a Cylch Meithrin setting you will need a Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development (CCPLD) qualification, the level you require will depend on your job role within the setting. Some settings are able to accept unqualified staff, with the expectation that you work towards gaining your qualification whilst in the role, this is dependant on the setting. You can find out more about what qualifications are needed at the below link:
https://socialcare.wales/qualifications-funding/qualification-framework/job-roles/sessional-day-care.
If the Cylchoedd Meithrin also offers Out of School care, you may also require a Transition to Playwork qualification to care for children over the age of 8 years.
As these settings provide care through the medium of Welsh, you will also need to be a confident Welsh Speaker.
You will need a minimum of a level 2 Safeguarding and a Paediatric First Aid certificate that has been gained within the last 3 years. These are required by Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) in the National Minimum Standards (NMS) that set out the requirement of all Childcare settings across Wales. Any setting that operates for over 2 hours per day MUST be registered with CIW.
If settings provide snacks, it may best practice for you to also hold a valid Food Hygiene certificate.