Early%20Childhood%20Education%20Ireland

1
Early Childhood EducationIreland

• Nóirín Hayes
• Centre for Social and Educational Research,
  Dublin Institute of Technology
• noirin.hayes_at_dit.ie
• School of Education, Trinity College Dublin
• noirin.hayes_at_tcd.ie

2
Introduction

• Ireland has seen dramatic changes in policy
  approach to Early Childhood Education over the
  last 10-15 years
• Brief context
• The 1990s
• The 2000s
• Since 2010

3
Defining ECE

• Internationally defined as the first stage of
  education
• Pre compulsory provision (0-6 years)
• Incorporates the concept of education and care
  of/about
• Includes a variety of services supporting
  families and children including infant classes
• Private, community based and state supported

4
Brief Context

• The Irish Constitution
• The Irish State engagement with family
• The Irish State longstanding commitment to
  education

5
The role of OMEP

• Training first national training programme at
  Dublin Institute of Technology DIT
• Legislation and Regulation OMEP influence on
  the Child Care Act 1991
• Research partnership between UCC and DIT to
  host research seminars development of an Irish
  Journal of Early Childhood Studies An Leanbh Óg

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Defining Early Childhood Education in Ireland

• A difficulty of language and auspices
• Childcare
• Early childcare 0-3
• Out of school care 4-12
• Early Education
• Inside school system - junior/senior infants
  4-6
• Outside school system - creches, nurseries,
  preschools limited recognition of childminding
  birth 6
• Conceptual and structural distinction between
  education and care
• Privileging education over care

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Early Childhood Education

• An instance of confusion about the concept
  childcare/early education
• Indicator for Early Childhood Education
• Enrolment in early childhood care and education
  
• The percentage of children under 13 sic in
  various early childhood care and education
  arrangements. State of the Nations Children
  Report, 2008

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Education and Care

• Compulsory school age in Ireland is 6 years
• but many 4 and 5 year olds attend and all
  children at school come under the aegis of the
  Dept. of Education and Skills
• Preschool children defined as
• Children under 6 years of age who are not
  attending a national school or equivalent ---
  come under the aegis of a range of departments
  including Dept. of Children and Youth Affairs and
  the Dept. of Health.

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Education v Care

• Qualifications
• Strict qualification requirements for primary
  school teachers BEd L8
• Limited qualification requirements for early
  years teachers Certificate L5/6
• Regulation/Inspection
• Education- long-standing with dedicated
  education inspectorate
• Early years a health inspectorate with no early
  education training

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The 1990s

• Child Care Act 1991
• Implementation of Regulations 1997
• Growth of membership organisations and NGO groups
• Increasing calls for a national strategy and for
  clarity re departmental responsibility
• Labour Market Unions and womens groups
• Education equality target investment on
  disadvantaged
• Childrens rights advocates universal supports
• Politicians

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The 1990s

• Emerging relevant policy documents
• Report on National Forum on ECE 1998 ( 0-3/0-6
  split)
• Strengthening Families for Life 1998
• National Childcare Strategy 1999 (birth 12/14
  years)
• White paper on ECE Ready to Learn 1999 (birth
  6 years)

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2000-2010 A decade of activity

• Equal Opportunities Childcare programme EU
  funding 2000-2006
• Childcare for working parents
• Capital investment in childcare places
• Structural supports local childcare committees
• National Childcare Investment programme
  Exchequer funding 2007-2011
• Focus on cash payments to parents
• Fee Subsidy
• Early Childcare Supplement

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2000 - 2010

• Centre for Early Childhood Education and
  Development CECDE established 2002
• OECD thematic review 2004 calls for
• Systematic and integrated approach
• Appointment of a lead office
• Co-ordination between central and local
• Quality improvement and assurance
• Universal access for 3-4 year olds

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2000 - 2010

• Office of the Minister for Children opens 2006
• Childcare Directorate
• Early Years Policy Unit
• Síolta National Quality framework 2006
• Aistear National Early Childhood Curriculum
  Framework 2009
• Workforce Development Plan 2010

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2000 - 2010

• Prevention and Early Intervention Programme
  (2007)
• Closure of CECDE 2008
• Withdrawal of the ECS 2009
• Launch of the Universal Free Preschool Year
  Initiative 2010
• Capitation grant to settings
• Incentivising training

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2011 - 2014

• National Early Years Initiative (2011-2014)
• 11 local projects supported
• Ministry for Children and Youth Affairs (2011)
• Area Based Childhood Initiative (2013)
• Early Years Advisory group reports (2014)
• Early Years Strategy imminent
• National Early Years Quality Support Service
  announced

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Summary

• Ireland slow to recognise value of early
  childhood care and education
• Split between education and care remains
• Investment in spaces rather than the development
  of an integrated quality service
• Limited investment in early years services
  directly

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How are we doing?

• OECD thematic review 2004 called for
• Systematic and integrated approach not yet
• Appointment of a lead office - DCYA
• Co-ordination between central and local -
  improving
• Quality improvement and assurance NEYQSS??
• Universal access for 3-4 year olds - FPSY

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How do we compare?

• UNICEF Report Card 8 (2008)
• 2008 - Ireland met 1 of the ten indicators
  poorest performance of the 24 countries
• 2014 Ireland meets 2 of the ten indicators
• Starting Well Index (2012) on Quality,
  Affordability and Access to ECE
• Ireland 67.4 range 21.2 (India) 91.8
  (Finland)
• Ireland ranking of 18th in 45 countries

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Challenges

• Investment remains very low - lt.04 GDP
• Quality supports limited
• Limited funding to support implementation of
  Síolta the National Quality Framework
• No funding to support the implementation of
  Aistear the Early Years Curriculum Framework
• Investment in training support fragmented and
  limited
• Salaries and conditions of service poor

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A shift in emphasis

• The Universal Free Preschool Year
• a shift in policy?
• an engagement with the idea that Early Childhood
  Education is good for all children?
• Yet to be assessed - -
• In another linguistic confusion the Free
  Preschool Year is also called the ECCE
  initiative
• perpetuating the confusion on definition!!

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• Thank You ?