Afterschool
Child’s Play Senior Afterschool Service is more than just a homework club.
Located in Kilbeggan Community Hub, we aim to provide a safe space, a home-from-home for children to rest and reset after their main school day, and also offer a pickup service.
We follow a child-led curriculum, encouraging the child to recognise and understand their feelings in any given moment, and empowering them to make decisions that help them have their needs met in appropriate ways.
Above all else, inclusion is at our heart, and our highly trained staff welcome children of all abilities and developmental stages
Locations we Serve
We offer pick-up from multiple schools and Autism or Special Classes across County Westmeath, including:
· Scoil an Chlochair,
· St Patrick’s Ballynagore,
· Gaelscoil an Choillin Mullingar,
· Gaelscoil an Mhuilinn Mullingar,
· Holy Family Mullingar and Saplings Mullingar
What to expect
Children choose and make their own healthy meals with a focus on wholegrains, fruit and vegetables
Children practice important but often overlooked life skills such as safe food preparation, cleaning, and even help out with budgeting, and online shopping for groceries
We provide help with homework, including perhaps most importantly the pivotal skills of self-management skills, asking for and accepting help and feedback
Where children are struggling with their homework, we identify this early on with the child and their family. Empowering you to advocate that your child gets the right workload can be life-changing for everyone
We stock and run several remedial programs to compliment assigned schoolwork, such as a wide variety of decodable phonics/science of reading aligned book sets, Toe by Toe Word Wasp UFLI manipulative resources for maths,
What Interests You, Interests Us!
We are a screen-free service for leisure time, and it has never been a problem as we are blessed to have inherited such a fantastic physical space in the heart of the town. Day-to-day, the children can choose anything from darts, pool, air hockey, STEM, and the ever-popular arts and crafts such as painting, sewing, knitting, board games, there is always a fresh new activity on our carefully curated shelves.
Our passionate class leads also organise special interest activities based on the medium-term curriculum, reflecting what is going on in the child’s words. From karaoke and talent shows of the hottest chart song (usually featuring a tin whistle or 2!), science and technology experiments and cooking with seasonal ingredients, children are encouraged to be active citizens of the world
Being in the heart of Kilbeggan we have some amazing outdoor spaces right on our doorstep. We are a 5-minute walk from and therefore frequent guests of the town’s 2 excellent parks, the Biodiversity Garden, the River Brosna, the library, a gym, a yoga studio, and football green. We have worked with local groups including the Tidy Towns, Brosna Residents and Kilbeggan Distillery on various community projects.
Links to Our Other Services
Afterschool FAQs
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What is Child’s Play Senior Afterschool Service?
Child’s Play Senior Afterschool Service is a comprehensive programme designed to provide children with a safe, nurturing environment after their school day. Located in the Kilbeggan Community Hub, we offer homework support, engaging activities, and opportunities for children to develop essential life skills.
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Which schools do you offer pick-up services from?
We provide pick-up services from multiple schools across County Westmeath, including Scoil an Chlochair, St Patrick’s Ballynagore, Gaelscoil an Choillin Mullingar, Gaelscoil an Mhuilinn Mullingar, Holy Family Mullingar, and Saplings Mullingar.
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What types of meals are provided?
Children in our care can choose and prepare their own healthy meals, with a focus on wholegrains, fresh fruit, and vegetables. This approach encourages independence and healthy eating habits.
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Do you help with homework?
Yes, we provide homework support tailored to each child’s needs. We focus on teaching self-management skills and identifying any challenges early, collaborating with families to ensure the right workload is achieved for each child.