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Start Strong e-newsletter- April 2010
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Dear colleague,

Welcome to the third issue of our e-newsletter. We have just begin our consultation process on a vision for the care and education of young children in Ireland in 2020. Details of the consultation process - and of how you can take part - are in the newsletter below.
topIn this issue

News from Start Strong
Policy focus: Ireland
Policy focus: international
Research focus
Updates
Events
News from Start Strong
ConsultationConsultation process on a 2020 Vision

Start Strong recently began a consultation process on a '2020 vision' for early childhood education and care in Ireland. We hope the consultation process will open up a debate about what we want services and supports for young children and their families to look like in 2020, and about what Government policies we need to get there. We are talking to a wide range of stakeholders, as well as inviting submissions from the public. See below on how you can share your views with us.

Among the many stakeholders we are talking to in our consultation process are:
  • Parents' networks
  • City and County Childcare Committees
  • Early care and education organisations / networks
  • NGOs
  • Social Partners
  • Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs
  • ESRI
  • NESC
  • Children themselves
The consultation process is being facilitated by Candy Murphy, who has been involved for many years in the analysis of childcare policy in Ireland, and who has extensive experience in facilitation and advocacy.

At the end of the consultation process, we hope to have a set of policy proposals that could form the basis of a 10-year National Plan for Early Childhood. As part of our campaign for a 10-year plan (which we are calling Children 2020), we will then present our proposals to the Government and to opposition political parties in the autumn.

Once the consultation process is complete, we will also subject our policy proposals to cost-benefit analysis. We recently appointed Goodbody Economic Consultants to carry out this analysis. Further details will be available in future issues of this e-newsletter and on the Research section of our website.

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HowToContributeHow you can share your views with us

In addition to meetings and focus groups with a number of stakeholders, we will be holding an open National Consultation Meeting, which all interested individuals and organisations are encouraged to attend. The National Consultation Meeting will be held in Dublin on Thursday 24th June. More details on the event will be available nearer the time, but please put the date in your diary now!

The National Consultation Meeting will involve workshops on specific themes, and small group discussions, and should provide an opportunity for all participants to share their views with us on the future of early childhood education and care in Ireland.

If you are unable to attend the National Consultation Meeting and are not involved in any of our other consultation meetings, then you can still share your views with us by making an online written submission here(closing date 30th June).

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Policy focus: Ireland 
EUdirectiveNew EU directive on parental leave approved

The new EU directive on parental leave (Council Directive 2010/18/EU) was approved by the EU Council of Ministers in March. Member States - including the Irish Government - must implement the directive within 2 years.

Details that will affect Ireland include a longer period of parental leave (4 months for each parent, up fom 14 weeks in Ireland at present), as well as the right for employees returning from parental leave to request flexible working and/or reduced hours for a set period of time.In addition, to promote gender equality in caring, one month of the parental leave should be strictly non-transferable between the parents. (In Ireland, parental leave is currently only transferable where parents are employed by the same employer.)

Start Strong believes that the Irish Government should go further than the minimum standards required by the new directive. In particular we believe that the Irish Government should adopt the principle that parental leave should be paid, as already happens in many European countries. In addition, we believe that a statutory entitlement to paternity leave should be introduced for fathers at the time of the birth of their children. Measures such as these are essential to reduce the barries that stand in the way of parents - especially fathers - giving more time to their children's care in the crucial first year of life. Read the Directive here.

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ChildLiteracyChild literacy: calls for a national literacy policy 

The Children's Rights Alliance recently published a 'Briefing Note on Child Literacy', which outlines key issues relating to child literacy in Ireland today, and sets out a number of key policy recommendations. The briefing note has a broad scope, and Start Strong welcomes the inclusion of good early childhood education and care as an essential element of a strategy to improve child literacy in Ireland.

The Children's Rights Alliance notes that one in ten children leaves primary school with serious literacy difficulties, and that this rises to one in three children in disadvantaged communities. The Alliance's central recommendation is for a child-centred National Literacy Policy, to provide a shared vision for future action. The Alliance argues that such a policy should have a strong focus on early years education, though not to the detriment of action at primary and secondary school level.

The Alliance was a member of the NESF (National Economic and Social Forum) project team that produced the recent report on 'Child Literacy and Social Inclusion', and its conclusions are in line with those of the NESF. The 2009 NESF report argued that Ireland needs a national literacy policy framework, and that the policy framework should address literacy in a holistic way, from early childhood right through to adulthood, and should involve partnership between education and community stakeholders, at both national and local levels.

Start Strong believes that quality care and education in the earliest months and years of life plays a crucial role in laying the foundations for literacy and numeracy. Literacy is not just about reading and writing, nor is it just about school. The early development of oral language - speaking and listening - is closely connected to reading and writing skills, and young children's literacy grows well in an environment that is rich in language and that supports children's interest in written words. While the NESF report notes the potential benefits of the Free Pre-School Year, we believe that quality services and supports for young children should begin long before children reach the age of 3 years and 3 months.

Read the Children's Rights Alliance's briefing note here. Read the NESF report here.

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Policy focus: international 
CinEmagazineChildren in Europe issue 18 - ideas for rural areas

The March issue of the 'Children in Europe' magazine explores the role of 'place' in services for young children. The magazine explores the issue broadly, ranging from inter-generational 'family learning' projects to farm kindergartens. From a policy perspective - and from an Irish perspective in particular - the most significant articles may be those which address the provision of services in rural areas.

Articles from several countries around Europe explore the challenge of providing services in rural areas where the population is small and dispersed. A striking example is given from Poland, where kindergartens for 3-6 year olds are concentrated in urban areas. In many rural areas, the only available pre-school is pre-school classes within primary schools, and only 20% of rural children aged 3-5 have access to any pre-school service.

A number of articles in the magazine explore models and ideas for more effective practice in rural areas:
  • An article from France notes the concept of the 'micro-nursery', a new concept made possible on an experimental basis in 2007 regulations. Micro-nurseries have capacity for 9 children, staffed by 2 professionals, and offer a model that enables family day carers (childminders) to work together within a shared facility.
  • Similarly an example is given from a mountain area of Emilia Romagna in Italy, of an experiment in 'small educating groups' ('piccolo grupo educativo'), in which home-based services for up to 5 children aged 1-3 are linked together, with a pedagogical coordinator who visits services every week, with monthly meetings of all services within the network, and with connections to facilities such as libraries, music associations and learning farms.
  • In Portugal, the 1990s saw the introduction of 'school clusters', which have enabled pre-schools to help overcome rural educational isolation. School clusters can either be 'horizontal' clusters, bringing together all the nursery and primary schools in an area, or 'vertical' clusters, linking nursery, primary and secondary schools. Under both models, a single, local management structure is given autonomy to develop and implement an integated educational plan for the area.
While there may be advantages and disadvantages to these and other models, it is clear that rural areas may require distinctive approaches, and that there would be much to be gained by strengthening dialogue between Ireland and other European countries in the development of practice and policy. The magazine can be purchased and downloaded from the Children in Europe website here. There will also be a conference in Scotland in June to explore the issues in the magazine (see Events below).

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DaycareTrustDaycare Trust's 'manifesto' for the UK elections

In advance of the May general election in the UK, the Daycare Trust has issued a 'Childcare Charter', which it describes as a 'manifesto for early childhood education and care' and which provides a clear and compelling call for greater investment and policy development for the early years. The Childcare Charter calls on the next UK Government, whoever that may be, to:
  1. Aim to spend 1% of GDP on early childhood education and care, to raise quality standards and ensure that high quality care and education is available for all young children.
  2. Extend free places, to give all children aged 2 to 4 an entitlement to 20 free pre-school hours per week.
  3. Extend parental leave and make workplaces family-friendly, with parental leave extended to 12 months and paid at least at minimum wage level.
  4. Fill the gaps in provision, and guarantee extended schools, with, for example, greater provision of holiday childcare, out-of-school childcare and care for parents working atypical hours.
  5. Make childcare affordable for all parents, through expanding free places and providing a higher level of Government subsidies.
  6. Celebrate Sure Start Children's Centres and extend the range of services on offer, continuing the role of Children's Centres in providing universal, integrated services within every community, with outreach to support the use of services.
Though the context is different, there are many parallels between the policy ambitions of the Daycare Trust in the UK and those of Start Strong in Ireland. We offer our support to the Daycare Trust in their efforts to influence the election debate in the UK. Read the Childcare Charter here.

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Research focus 
Meta-analysisMeta-analysis of the effects of early education interventions

A recent 'meta-analysis' of a large number of research studies has demonstrated that early childhood interventions have a significant positive impact on children's cognitive and social development. The meta-analysis, published in the March 2010 issue of the Teachers College Record (a journal published at Columbia University in the US), involved a statistical analysis of 123 different research studies. Drawing together the findings of a wide range of studies in this way inevitably blurs many distinctions between the studies, but makes it possible to identify with some confidence the conclusions of a large body of research.

In selecting the 123 studies, the researchers - from the University of Colorado and the State University of New Jersey - comprehensively analysed all research carried out in the US since 1960 that met certain minimum criteria, and that compared the effects on participant children with a comparison group of children who did not participate in a programme. To be included, the research had to involve a centre-based programme that lasted at least 10 hours per week for at least 2 months.

Statistical analysis of the combined findings of the 123 studies revealed significant, positive benefits for children who attended a pre-school programme prior to kindergarten. The largest gains were in cognitive outcomes, but positive benefits were also found in children's social skills. As the authors note, the findings are of great importance for policy-makers who want to know why pre-school should be funded for all children.

The meta-analysis also tried to identify those aspects of programmes that are most associated with positive impacts. The findings here are more tentative, but suggest that positive effects for children are correlated with small-group instruction, with teacher-directed (rather than child-led) instruction, and with programmes that do not combine early education with additional services such as health screening, nutrition, educational/teaching materials for home use, and home visits. However, the authors note that the latter findings should be treated with caution, given limitations of the data. A summary of the paper can be read here.

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DisadvantageEarly years provision among families experiencing multiple disadvantage in UK

A new report, commissioned by the British Government, examines the effect of multiple disadvantage on the use of early years provision in the UK. Based on a survey of a nationally representative sample of parents, 'Families Experiencing Multiple Disadvantage: Their Use of and Views on Childcare Provision' finds much lower use of non-parental early years provision among families experiencing multiple disadvantage than among families who are not disadvantaged. The report (written by Svetlana Speight, Ruth Smith and Eva Lloyd) notes the worrying implications, given 'evidence that attending a good quality early years setting can have a beneficial effect on children's development and in particular on those from disadvantaged backgrounds' (p.52).

The difference is greatest for children under 3 years old. Whereas 55% of under-3s who are not from a disadvantaged background receive formal care (predominantly day nurseries), this is true of only 15% of under-3s who experience multiple disadvantage. The report concludes that the main reason for this is that financial supports for the care of under-3s in the UK (tax credits and work-based voucher schemes) are conditional on parents' employment.

The difference in use of early years provision is less marked among families with 3-4 year old children, who can all benefit from universal, free pre-school hours in the UK, somewhat similar to the new scheme in Ireland. There is still, however, a difference in take-up. Whereas only 3% of 3-4 year olds who are not from a disadvantaged background receive no early years education, this is true of 16% of 3-4 year olds who experience multiple disadvantage. The report suggests that this may be due to a lower level of awareness of the pre-school entitlement among families that experience multiple disadvantage.

The main lesson that policy-makers in Ireland can learn from the report is that universal, free services are significantly more effective than tax credits (or other employment-related subsidies) in reaching and supporting the most disadvantaged in society. A second lesson, however, is that care is needed in designing universal schemes to ensure that those children who may need and benefit from them most are not accidentally excluded. Read the report here.

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Updates 
ACPFirst national conference of the Association of Childcare Professionals

On 10th April, the first national conference took place of the Association of Childcare Professionals. The conference, held in Cork, was a significant milestone in the development of a national, professional body for childcare workers in Ireland.

A Cork branch of the association was first established in 2005, to promote childcare as a profession and to act as a representative body for childcare practitioners. Other local branches have recently been established in Waterford and Wexford. Concrete steps were taken at the conference to move towards the development of a professional association in other areas of the country.

The importance of professionalisation for workers in the sector was stressed in the two conference presentations. Dr Mathias Urban, who is leading a comparative research project for the European Commission on professionalisation of the early childhood workforce, provided international and historical perspectives. Dr Ann Gallagher, Reader in Nursing Ethics at the University of Surrey, drew comparisons between childcare and nursing in the movement towards professional status.

In identifying other countries from which Ireland can learn - or which should at least be the subject of debate here - Dr Urban singled out New Zealand, where the decision was taken to re-name childcare workers as 'teachers'. This strategic move included redefining 'teaching' in the early years as a caring and holistic practice, rather than introducing traditional school teaching to the early years. The result of this move was laid out in New Zealand's 10-year national plan for early education ('Pathways to the Future'), and there has been a progressive move towards all early childhood teachers being graduates and on a par with school teachers.

Further information about the Association of Childcare Professionals can be found on its website here.

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Events 
ResiliencePsychological Society of Ireland conference - Fostering Resilience in Children and Young People

On Saturday 24th April, the Psychological Society of Ireland's Special Interest Group in Child and Adolescent Psychology will be holding a half-day conference entitled 'Children of Promise: Fostering Resilience in Children and Young People'. The conference will take place from 9.45 am to 2 pm in the Health Sciences Building, Room C006, University College Dublin.

Speakers at the conference will include Professor Pat Dolan (NUI Galway, Director of the Child and Family Research Centre), Dr Orla Doyle (UCD, and evaluator of the Preparing for Life initiative) and Dr Barbara Dooley (UCD, and Director of Research at Headstrong).

Late registrations on the day of the conference are welcome. Registration costs €15 for members / students / unwaged, and €30 for non-members. Further information is available from Christine O'Farrelly on 01-4749160 or [email protected].

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MontessoriSt Nicholas Montessori Society of Ireland - 40th anniversary conference

The St Nicholas Montessori Society of Ireland will be holding its 40th anniversary conference on Saturday 24th April (9.30am to 3.30pm) at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, with events on the evening of Friday 24th April at St Nicholas House in Dun Laoghaire.

Speakers at the conference will include Nicky O'Leary (consultant psychologist), Averil Courtney (St Nicholas Montessori Teacher Training College), Professor Angeline Stoll Lillard (University of Virginia) and Trevor Eissler (author of 'Montessori Madness'). Further information on the conference, including a booking form, is available from the Montessori Society website here.

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FroebelFroebel College of Education / NCCA - conference on early childhood education

On Friday 21st May, the Froebel College of Education - in partnership with the NCCA (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment) - will be holding their First Biennial Conference on Early Childhood Education. The theme of the conference is 'Playing to Learn: Sowing the Seeds to Start the Journey'.

The keynote speaker will be Professor Elizabeth Wood, who will speak on 'New Directions in Play: Learning, Pedagogy and Curriculum'. The conference will provide an opportunity to showcase exemplars of play in early years settings, including infant classrooms. The conference will take place at the Froebel College of Education in Blackrock, Co. Dublin. For more information and booking details, visit the Froebel College website here.

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CinEconferenceChildren in Europe - annual conference

Children in Europe's annual conference will take place on 8th June in Inverness, Scotland. The theme of this year's conference is 'A Sense of Place', and the conference will explore some of the issues arising in the latest issue of the Children in Europe magazine (see discussion above).

Children in Europe is a Europe-wide magazine, published simultaneously in 15 languages, for everyone working with and for children aged 0-10 and those interested in children's issues. Further details on the conference are available here.

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EarlyYearsEarly Years conference in Newcastle, Co. Down

The Early Years organisation in Northern Ireland will be hosting an international conference on Thursday 10th and Friday 11th June at the Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle, Co. Down. The theme of the conference will be 'Mathematics and Science with Young Children'.

Events will include a range of optional field visits, short seminars and master classes directed by keynote speakers Professor Ferre Laevers (University of Leuven) and Dr Beth Casey (Boston College). Further information on the conference is available from the Early Years website here.

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StartStrongStart Strong - open National Consultation Meeting

Start Strong will be holding a National Consultation Meeting, open to all, on Thursday 24th June in Dublin. The meeting forms part of our '2020 vision' consultation process, as we develop proposals for the future development of early care and education in Ireland over the next decade.

Further details on the event will be available nearer the time, both in the next issue of our e-newsletter and on our website. In the meantime, if you wish to register your interest in taking part in the consultation meeting, please contact us at [email protected].

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