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This jam packed issue includes articles on the Pre-School Quality Agenda, the latest statistics from Europe, grandparent childcare in Ireland and lots more.
This July we welcomed new Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Dr James Reilly T.D. to his new role. We were also glad to see that the new Statement of Government Priorities 2014 to 2016, included a commitment to "increase access to subsidised childcare and afterschool places". However we need much more than that if we are to see all children able to access high-quality affordable early care and education. Our latest Policy Brief "The Double Dividend: Childcare that's affordable and high quality" sets out key steps the government needs to take if we are to achieve that.
We're also including a short survey in this month's issue so please take two minutes to fill it in. Help us make our newsletter as interesting and relevant to you as we can.
Finally, there will be no newsletter in August as we take some time to enjoy the summer break. Here's hoping the good weather lasts.
With best wishes,
The team at Start Strong
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Two minute survey  Please take this two minute survey so we can get your feedback on this E-newsletter. We want to make it as useful and informative for you as we can but we need your input. The survey takes less than two minutes, we promise. Take the survey
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Update on the Pre-School Quality Agenda  It's been over a year since the "Pre-School Quality Agenda" was announced, so we felt it was time to carry out a preliminary review of progress made to date.
The Agenda was announced by the then Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald, to address some of the failings highlighted by the RTE Prime Time programme A Breach of Trust. While many reforms were promised at the time, few have been implemented and fundamental weaknesses in the system remain.
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Major report comparing EU countries  A major report has just been published by Eurydice and Eurostat providing extensive data on early years provision across the EU. The 200-page report, Key Data on Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe, is the first of its kind. Start Strong has summarised some of the most significant comparisons between Ireland and other European countries under headings such as public funding and costs to parents, participation, standards and impact on outcomes. Read more
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Grandparent childcare in Ireland
In debates on children's early care and education, policymakers tend not to consider how much childcare is provided by grandparents.
Recently published research presents findings from the Growing Up in Ireland study, on who tends to choose grandparents to care for their young children, and what factors lie behind their decision.
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Eurochild: early years services are a public good
The European Commission recently hosted a conference in Athens on the quality of early care and education. The conference was a milestone in the development of a European Quality Framework for early care and education.
At the start of the conference, Eurochild issued a statement on policy priorities. The statement is an advocacy tool for use at both EU and national levels. It sets out 5 key principles that should underpin early childhood policies.
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Early Start - assessment
Early Start is a one-year pre-school programme that has been running in 40 primary schools in disadvantaged areas since 1994.
The Department of Education and Skills has now published what it calls a "focussed policy assessment" of Early Start. The assessment is limited in scope, and doesn't amount to an evaluation. However, it does look at cost-efficiency, how well the programme targets disadvantage, and some aspects of quality.
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Child poverty must be a budget priority
The End Child Poverty Coalition, of which Start Strong is a member, recently published its Pre-Budget Submission.
It argues that Budget 2015 must be proofed against its potential impact on children - and that action must be taken to address the rising level of child poverty. The rate of child poverty rose from 6.3% in 2008 to 9.9% in 2012 (the latest figures available).
Read more
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Political Update
In each issue of the newsletter, "Political update" provides links to some of the most relevant political developments since the previous issue.
The section includes links to debates and key questions raised in the Oireachtas, as well as policy documents and press releases issued by Government Ministers and political parties.
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Start StrongAdvancing children's early care and education in Ireland
  www.startstrong.ie+353-1-662-4018
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