This month marked the beginning of the first full year of the Free Pre-School Year, following its introduction in January. The scheme is a major step forwards, but much more needs to be done in future to build on its potential. It is therefore essential that the upcoming Budget does not involve any cuts to the Free Pre-School Year. If the scheme is cut in any way, the future development of early childhood care and education in Ireland could be set back for years to come.

When the Free Pre-School Year was first announced in the April 2009 Supplementary Budget, Start Strong welcomed it as a watershed in the provision of young children's care and education in Ireland. The Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan TD, rightly stated in his Budget Statement then that 'Pre-primary education significantly enhances the subsequent educational achievement of students and in turn increases the return for State investment in education generally'. Over the 18 months since then, the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has worked hard to retain key principles that underpin the scheme: that it is universal and should be free to all families, that it involves direct support to providers, and that funding should be linked to the raising of quality standards by providers.

We urge our readers to use any opportunity they have to defend the Free Pre-School Year. Even small cuts to the scheme could have a damaging effect, as they would lead to a lowering of quality standards or to some providers leaving the scheme. And the associated funding for quality supports - such as training in Siolta and Aistear and the higher capitation grant for staff qualified at Level 7 - are very limited.

Great progress has been made over the last decade in building the infrastructure of early care and education services and in establishing the Free Pre-School Year. We cannot waste this progress. If there is to be any hope of making progress over the next decade towards our vision for the future of early childhood care and education, then at the very least we must hold on to what we now have. In the coming weeks, Start Strong will be making this argument in its Pre-Budget Submission to the Government.

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There are indications that the Government may shortly publish its long-awaited Workforce Development Plan for the early childhood care and education sector. The publication of the plan will be very welcome, but it really matters whether it contains specific and ambitious proposals. Progress has been made in recent years, but it remains the case that far too many early years practitioners in Ireland are unqualified or have a very low level of qualifications. It is positive that the Free Pre-School Year did include a qualification requirement for practitioners, but the FETAC Level 5 that was specified is too low to achieve high quality provision across the board.

In pushing for the full professionalisation of the early years workforce, there is a large task in changing attitudes towards the importance of children's early years and the skill involved in effective practice. Recent suggestions from the Department of Social Protection that the unemployed could be compelled to do childcare work as a condition of receiving welfare payments was a further indication of how common is the view that childcare is unskilled work that does not require relevant qualifications. Of course it is important to create opportunities to support people's reintegration into the labour market. But it is unimaginable that a Government Minister would suggest that the unemployed should be required to work as nurses or primary school teachers, and it should be equally unimaginable to suggest this of those who work in the care and education of young children.

In this context, it was interesting to read about a recent research project by Mary Moloney at the University of Limerick on professional identity among pre-school and infant teachers.  The research found a very low sense of professional esteem among early years practitioners, tied to the lack of qualification requirements (read more about the research below). The publication of a Workforce Development Plan will be welcome, but the challenge is a large one.

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An Intercultural Education Strategy was launched in September by the Department of Education and Skills and the Office of the Minister for Integration. The strategy aims to take a broad approach to education, with the strategy addressed to the full lifelong learning spectrum, including early childhood education and care. It is very positive that the Government has published such a strategy, and the ambitions set out in the strategy are good. But it is perhaps short on specifics, particularly in relation to children's early years, even though a recent OECD review of education for migrants in Ireland named early childhood education and care as of central importance.

The Strategy notes that approximately 10% of children in early childhood services are from migrant backgrounds. Traveller children are also directly relevant to intercultural education, though they are rarely mentioned in this Strategy document. But, as the Strategy rightly argues, intercultural education has implications for all children and all educators, as it involves challenging the stereotypes and racist attitudes held by all, not just providing additional supports to minority groups.

In the background chapters of the Strategy document, there is reference to the Siolta quality framework, the Aistear curriculum framework and the Equality and Diversity Guidelines. These should all be essential elements of a strategy to promote intercultural education in early childhood services. If these frameworks are to achieve their potential impact, the Government will need to put substantially more resources into their implementation, and steps must be taken to make these frameworks more central in the inspection process. In the short run, it is crucial that there should be no cuts in the upcoming Budget to the limited budget lines that support their roll-out. Read the Intercultural Education Strategy here.

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An international group of experts on leave policies has just published its annual review comparing parental, paternity and maternity leave policies in 29 countries (mostly in Europe and North America) - the International Review of Leave Policies and Related Research 2010, edited by Peter Moss. While the increases in the length of maternity leave in Ireland in recent years mean that the availability of paid leave in a child's first year is better than in some other countries, the review highlights the limitations of leave policies in Ireland compared to the leading countries.

A particular limitation in Ireland is the lack of any payment for parental leave. The review notes the evidence that take-up of unpaid parental leave is low, particularly for fathers. Of the 29 countries surveyed, 19 provide payments for parental leave.

Ireland is also behind other countries in the lack of any statutory paternity leave, i.e. leave for fathers immediately after the birth of a child. Of the 29 countries, 16 provide paternity leave, usually paid on the same basis as maternity leave.

In relation to maternity leave, the length of such leave in Ireland is moderate (42 weeks in total), but the level of payment is low by international standards. There is only a statutory payment for the first 26 weeks of maternity leave in Ireland, and that statutory payment has a ceiling of 270 euros per week. In contrast, payment for maternity leave in 13 of the countries is at more than 66 per cent of previous earnings.

While the Irish Government's economic difficulties make it hard to push for significant extensions of paid leave, it would be worthwhile for policy-makers to reflect on the growing international recognition that children tend do best when they are cared for at home for their first year, and that lack of payment is the main barrier that prevents parents taking up leave. Read the full report here.

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Research recently carried out by Mary Moloney (Mary Immaculate College of Education, University of Limerick) explored perceptions of professional identity in the early childhood care and education sector in Ireland. The research, published in the June 2010 edition of the journal Irish Educational Studies, highlights the low self-esteem of workers in the sector and points to the lack of qualification requirements as a central factor.

Through interviews with 56 practitioners working with children aged four to six in pre-school and primary school settings, the research examined perceptions of status, salary and working conditions.

Interviews with pre-school practitioners confirmed that those in the sector believe their work is not valued as professional, and is instead seen by parents as 'just minding' children and as something that anybody can do without training. This view was contrasted with the perception of school teachers as respected professionals. The contrast was linked by many interviewees to the lack of a compulsory training requirement, which is seen as the basis of professional identity among teachers, nurses, doctors and other professionals. The interviews provided evidence that highly trained ECCE graduates are being lost to the sector because of the low salaries being paid and the lack of a professional identity and - for some - because they see a graduate qualification as a route to primary school teaching, not the basis for a career as an early years practitioner.

Interestingly, the research also involved interviews with teachers of infant classes within primary schools. While primary school teachers per se enjoy a relatively high social status, the interviews showed that their professional identity as infant teachers is compromised within individual school settings. Teachers believe that this is related to a perception that the infant classes are akin to 'playschool'. As a result, they do not get the same respect as teachers working in classes higher up the school, and report that 'moving up a class is like getting a promotion'.

Mary Moloney rightly argues that her research raises fundamental questions about the value placed on early childhood in society and the value placed on those working with young children, particularly at a pre-school level. The research suggests that efforts to professionalise the early years workforce will have to involve mandatory qualification requirements but also a process of raising public awareness of the importance of work with young children. Read the abstract and download the article here.

On 24 September in Athlone, the Longford / Westmeath Parenting Partnership was formally launched, with Professor Matt Sanders - the creator of the 'Triple P' parenting programme - as guest speaker. The Longford / Westmeath Parenting Partnership is the first parenting programme in Ireland to be rolled out on a 'population' basis - delivered free to all parents of children aged 0-7 in the two counties. In this respect, the initiative embodies one of the core messages emerging from our consultation process on the future of children's early care and education, that parenting supports should be seen as normal and provided as a universal public service.

The initiative is a partnership of nine agencies in the region, both statutory and non-statutory, managed by the HSE. The initiative involves only limited additional costs, because it involves harnessing existing resources, in particular the personnel of agencies taking part in the partnership. Approximately 100 practitioners have been trained to deliver the Triple P programme (which is an evidence-based parenting programme originating in Australia), including every Public Health Nurse in the two counties.

At the launch event, Professor Sanders cited research from the US showing the effectiveness of the programme when provided on a universal, 'population' basis, and he linked this effectiveness to  the low level of stigma that is then attached to the programme and to the fact that negative (coercive) parenting is found at all levels of the income spectrum and is not specific to disadvantaged communities. View more information about the initiative here.

A major conference in Dublin in September highlighted the need to shift resources from 'criminal justice' to 'social justice', given the benefits of prevention and early intervention strategies. Organised jointly by the Irish Penal Reform Trust, Barnardos and the Irish Association of Young People in Care (IAYPIC), the conference brought together researchers and practitioners. There was a strong focus on the role of high quality care and education for young children as a 'prevention' strategy, strengthening children's resilience, enhancing their emotional and behavioural development, and reducing the risk of subsequent criminal behaviour. As many speakers argued at the conference, prevention is both more effective and more cost-effective than locking offenders up in prison.

A policy position paper that was launched at the event argues that crime cannot be viewed as a social problem in isolation from deeper social and economic issues. It argues that the Irish criminal justice system is spending increasing and wasteful amounts with poor results in reducing crime, whereas investments to ensure equal access to health, education and social services would be more effective in reducing offending as well as producing wider social benefits. Read the policy position paper here. You can also visit the IPRT website to read the conference presentations and a full literature review (From Justice to Welfare: The Case for Investment in Prevention and Early Intervention, by CMAdvice).

An international conference on architecture and design for children and young people will take place in Edinburgh on 7-8 October. The conference will examine aspects of how children and young people relate to their environment, its impact on their development, and what we need to focus on in future. It will include study tours of innovative building projects in central Scotland. The conference has broad relevance, including policy-makers, practitioners, architects, designers, and local authority planners. Read more about the conference here.

On 19-21 October, the Centre for Effective Services will be running seminars on 'Developing evidence-informed practice for children and young people - the why and the what!' The seminars will explore the concept and application of evidence of 'what works' in children and young people's services in both the public and voluntary sectors. This will include training in approaches, skills and techniques to enhance performance. Key speakers include Sandra Nutley (Edinburgh University) and Daniel Perkins (Penn State University). Workshops will be led by Marian Quinn (CDI) and Noel Kelly (Preparing for Life).
 
The seminars take place in Dublin (19 October - fully booked!), Cork (20 October) and Galway (21 October). There is a nominal charge of 25 euros. To book a place, and for full details on the programme, contact Breda on 01-4160500 or office@effectiveservices.org.

On Wednesday 17th November, Start Strong will be launching Children 2020: A Vision for Young Children in Ireland. Drawing on the consultation process that we have been carrying out in recent months, the report will set out our vision for the long-term future of young children's care and education in Ireland, as well as a series of specific, short-term policy recommendations. Further details of the launch event will be circulated shortly.