Two education reports by Maynooth University academics will inform national policy on Early Childhood Learning.
Minister for Culture, Communications, and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan and Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley recently launched Principles for Engaging with the Arts: A Guide for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare.
Dr Tríona Stokes, of Maynooth University’s Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education, led the development of a research report to identify principles to underpin and support children’s quality engagement with the arts in early learning and care (ELC) settings through the work of the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE).
This work was grounded in the Department’s First 5, the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, 2019-2028 and the department’s participation in, and commitment to, the Creative Ireland Programme.
The full report and discussion paper, available here, note that report, and corresponding professional learning opportunities and resources, will support the provision of quality, enriching arts and creativity experiences for children from birth.
Separately, a report commissioned by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) titled An Emergent and Inquiry-based Curriculum Approach in Early Childhood was led by Professor Iram Siraj, a Distinguished International Collaborator at the Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education. Prof Siraj is Emeritus Professor of Child Development and Education at the Department of Education, University of Oxford.
This review, available here, complements the early childhood curriculum framework Aistear and the Guidance for Good Practice by seeking to show what an emergent and inquiry-based curriculum approach looks like for babies, toddlers and young children. It also outlines how such an approach can help educators to facilitate and support progression in learning. This also has implications for higher education institutions that educate and prepare the Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme (ECCE) workforce for implementation of Aistear.
The work was presented as a keynote at an Ireland first national conference on the Aistear framework and the launch of the Nurturing Skills website. It was attended by over 500 educators who represented the workforce from across Ireland, and many government staff. Speakers included Professor Siraj; Norma Foley, Minister for Children, Disability and Equality; Helen McEntee, Minister for Education and Youth, and Arlene Forster, Chief Executive of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA).
