Start Strong
Start Strong e-newsletter - July 2011
Children with copy of If I Had a Magic Wand
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In this issue
If I Had a Magic Wand
Comprehensive Review of Expenditure
Second report by Graham Allen
New Supporters list on our website
National literacy strategy launched
New data on maternity and parental leave
Summer - time to go outdoors?

Find out more

Dear colleague, 

 

Last week the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald TD, launched our latest publication - If I Had a Magic Wand. Drawing on our Children 2020 consultation, the book presents young children's own visions and ideas for early care and education services
. This newsletter opens with details of this short publication, which we encourage you to read and tell others about.

Speaking at the launch of the book, the Minister reiterated her commitment to early childhood care and education, and to supports for families.

That commitment will be very important in the months ahead, as the Minister works with her Cabinet colleagues to agree on spending priorities for the upcoming Budget. The Minister has already shown herself to be an advocate for children, and we wish her well in the difficult decisions ahead.

The Cabinet's Budget decisions will be shaped by the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure, which is under way. We have made a submission to the Review, arguing that the Government must put the principles of prevention and early intervention at the heart of its economic decision-making.

Read more about that submission in this newsletter, along with articles on the new national literacy strategy, outdoor play, parental leave, and a new report from Graham Allen. And if you're not already on our Supporters list, read about how you can add your name. 

If I Had a Magic Wand
Minister with magic wand
If policy-makers are to develop policies that put children's interests first, then they must listen carefully to what children themselves have to say. Read our new publication - If I Had a Magic Wand - which presents young children's own visions and ideas for early care and education services. Read more
Comprehensive Review of Expenditure
Heckman graph
The Government's Comprehensive Review of Expenditure, which is scheduled for completion at the end of September, is looking at all areas of public spending. If the Government is serious about re-thinking public services, then it must put the principles of prevention and early intervention at the centre of its decision-making. Read more about our submission to the Government
Second report by Graham Allen
Cover of Graham Allen 2nd report
Earlier this year, Graham Allen MP wrote a major report on early intervention, commissioned by the British Government. He has just published the second part of his report, which makes a powerful case for the economic benefits of early intervention. Read more
New Supporters list on our website
Supporters
Our Supporters share our vision for the future of children's early care and education in Ireland. As a coalition of organisations and individuals, our supporters are of tremendous importance to us. We have just created a new Supporters page on our website, with a listing of all those who have agreed to show their support for us in this way. Read more  
National literacy strategy launched
Cover of Literacy reportEarlier this month the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn TD, launched Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life - the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020. We are pleased that early care and education is threaded right through the document, with recommendations aimed at raising many aspects of quality. Read more
New data on maternity and parental leave
Child with parents
New research by the ESRI shows that financial difficulties are a major constraint for many women in taking up their leave entitlements after childbirth, especially women in low-income families. The research involved the first nationally representative survey of mothers in Ireland. Read more
Summer - time to go outdoors?
Child running with kite
With the summer holiday season upon us, it seems obvious to assume that young children will now be spending more time out of doors: in the garden, on the beach, in the playground, on the street. But why shouldn't children spend just as much time outdoors in the winter (or on wet, cold days in the summer)? Read more