Dear colleague,
A major focus of our work this month is pushing for the regulation of childminding. Childminders care for 50,000 young children every day, but most are exempt from regulation. This month's enewsletter includes our Policy Brief, "Childminding: Regulation and Recognition".
As a member of the Children's Rights Alliance, we have been supporting the campaign for a YES vote in the Referendum on 10th November. There are details of the campaign below.
The week after the Referendum, on 14th November, Start Strong will be joining with Barnardos to launch a new report comparing childcare systems in Ireland and Scandinavia.
Over the weeks ahead we will also be continuing our efforts to ensure the National Early Years Strategy is ambitious. On Tuesday 11th December we are holding a consultation meeting on our submission to the Government. Put the date in your diary now - there will be more details in the November enewsletter.
Finally, we send our best wishes to Ciairin de Buis, our Director, as she goes on maternity leave. In her absence Toby Wolfe will be Acting Director, and we welcome Naomi Feely to the team as Policy and Advocacy Officer.
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Childminding: regulation and recognition
 Start Strong has launched the third in a new series of Policy Briefs. It focuses on childminding, calling for its regulation and recognition. The Policy Brief is timed to contribute to policy debate on the forthcoming National Early Years Strategy. There's added urgency because the Government is currently bringing two child protection bills through the Dail, and most childminders are excluded from them. We are urging the Government either to amend the bills, or to make a commitment to regulate all paid childminders. Read more |
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Referendum: vote YES!
 As a member of the Children's Rights Alliance, and as an advocate of the principle that Government policies on early care and education should be rooted in children's rights, Start Strong is campaigning for a YES! vote in the Children's Referendum on 10th November.
A YES vote will ensure that our Constitution recognises that all children have rights. It will lay down a clear principle that children should be respected, protected and listened to. For more information on why we should vote YES!, see the website of YES FOR CHILDREN, the national campaign led by Barnardos, the Children's Rights Alliance, the ISPCC and Campaign for Children: www.yesforchildren.ie
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Learning from New Zealand
 As part of our efforts to ensure that Ireland's forthcoming National Early Years Strategy is ambitious, Start Strong recently brought over Professor Linda Mitchell from the University of Waikato in New Zealand to explain the success of New Zealand's 10-year strategy.
Pathways to the Future - Nga Huarahi Arataki - was New Zealand's national strategic plan for early childhood education, for the period 2002-2012. A central feature of the strategy was a rapid shift towards a graduate workforce. Professor Linda Mitchell led the official evaluation of the strategy. Read more
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Early years crucial to literacy
 At the request of the European Commission, an independent "EU High Level Group of Experts on Literacy" has just published a major report and recommendations on how to improve literacy across Europe.
Bringing together academics and policy makers, the EU High Level Group has highlighted the importance of early years experiences in shaping literacy outcomes. In relation to early childhood, the report makes a call for play-based learning and for the encouragement of oral language skills and a culture of reading for pleasure. Read more |
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When should children start school?
 An article just published in the journal Education 3-13 argues that the school starting-age in Ireland is too young.
Referring to international research on early learning, Doireann O'Connor and Jonathan Angus - both from the Institute of Technology in Sligo - make the case for children to start school at 6 or, if that does not happen, at least for an overhaul of what goes on in the infant classes of primary schools. Read more
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Children in Europe - special issue on under-3s
 Children in Europe is a biannual, Europe-wide magazine concerned with children's early years. A special issue published earlier this summer - called "Welcome to our World" - focuses on under-3s.
With Government policies on under-3s so under-developed in Ireland, this issue of the magazine is of special interest to us. Read more |
Start StrongAdvancing children's early care and education in Ireland
  www.startstrong.ie+353-1-662-4018
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 | Supporters
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 | The Economics of Children's Early Years
Start Strong's report presents the compelling economic case for Government investment in early care and education. Read it now
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 | If I Had a Magic Wand
Our recent publication presents children's own views on early care and education services. Read it online |
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