Transcript OECD ECEC Network Catherine Hynes Department of Education and Science, Ireland Country Profile Republic of Ireland: Population: 4.23m (April 2006) Land Area: 68,890 sq km Number of.

OECD ECEC Network
Catherine Hynes
Department of Education and
Science, Ireland
Country Profile
Republic of Ireland:
Population: 4.23m (April 2006)
Land Area: 68,890 sq km
Number of children birth to six:
418,612 (10 % of population)
Rising birth rate + 16% approx
since 2006
Unemployment: 13.2% in 1990
4.3% in 2006
5.9% in 2008
12.5% Nov 2009
Female labour force participation
rate:
1985: 30%
2006: 59.39%
Apr-Jun 09: 54%
(source: CSO)
Structures- DES
Main legislative basis – 1998 Education Act
– School attendance mandatory for 6-16 year olds.
– 45.5% of 4 year olds and 99% of 5 year olds are enrolled
in junior infant classes in primary schools.
– Targeted interventions in areas of disadvantage and
special needs
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
Early Start programme <3% of child cohort are in Early Start
programmes
Segregated Traveller pre-schools - 29 segregated Traveller
pre-schools remaining. Government policy is to phase out
segregated provision at all levels of the Education System
Provision for children with autism. Pre-school classes
attached to primary schools
Structures OMCYA
Childcare Directorate formerly part of Dept of Justice Equality and Law
Reform
Main Legislation – 1991 Child Care Act
– ECCE Sector not regulated until the 1996 Child Care (Pre-School
Services) Regulation.
– Meant that pre-school services had to be inspected by the Health
Board
– 1996 regulations revoked by the Child Care (Pre-School Services)
(No 2) Regulations 2006.
– The 2006 Regulations focus more on the child’s learning,
development and well-being
Since the 1990s

1998 saw 2 major policy development consultation
processes almost running in parallel.
– Education - The National Forum on Early Childhood Education
March 1998 brought together all stakeholders in the ECCE sector
in Ireland
– Consensus on the positive benefits to children, families and the
wider society of high quality ECCE provision.
– National Forum Report, which ultimately led to the publication of
Ready to Learn, the White Paper on Early Childhood Education
(DES, 1999)
– Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform established the
Expert Working Group on Childcare – main driver was Childcare
Provision as a support to participation in the Labour force
– Resulted in the publication of the National Childcare Strategy
(1999)

Developments since then include the National Children’s
Strategy 2000
Investment
Since 2000

The Equal Opportunities Childcare
Programme 2000-2006
– Set up a network of 33 City and County Childcare
Committees. Their job
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to develop a co-ordinated strategy for childcare provision
within the county.
to increase the supply of childcare services, facilities and
childminders.
– Brought together all the stakeholders through the National
Childcare Co-ordinating Committee

Investment in Infrastructure
– Around 41,000 places
– Over €500m expended

Successor Programme – National Childcare
Investment Programme 2006-2010
Split System
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Historically, the care and education of a young child were seen as separate
with care being a health responsibility
Church influence on the autonomy of the family
Pattern of workforce participation by mothers of young children
Ireland’s split system has meant

The development of a separate physical infrastructure for pre-school services
and school services

Separate legislative basis

Separate inspection system

Separate qualification basis

Development of a caste system whereby the ECCE sector is low paid, without
much status compared to the primary school system
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Disconnect between the play based learning in pre-school services and the
more formal curriculum of Junior and Senior Infants
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Disconnect between the supports available for children with special needs
Ireland’s pattern of preschool care and education
Care used for pre-school
children (% of
households)
Childcare Type
2002
2007
Parent/Guardian
65
62
Unpaid relative
12
10
Paid relative
5
5
Childminder/Au Pair/Nanny
13
13
Creche/Montessori/Playschool
14
24
Other
0
1
42
48
4,049
2,681
Total households using non-parental childcare
Unweighted sample (number of households)
Split System

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
Historically, the care and education of a young child were seen as separate
with care being a health responsibility
Church influence on the autonomy of the family
Pattern of workforce participation by mothers of young children
Ireland’s split system has meant

The development of a separate physical infrastructure for pre-school services
and school services

Separate legislative basis

Separate inspection system

Separate qualification basis

Development of a caste system whereby the ECCE sector is low paid, without
much status compared to the primary school system

Disconnect between the play based learning in pre-school services and the
more formal curriculum of Junior and Senior Infants

Disconnect between the supports available for children with special needs
Evidence of integration
The 1999 White Paper on Early Education, Ready to Learn,
identified a key role for the Department in improving the
quality of educational provision in childcare settings. It also
set out the key tenet that the Department would support the
growth of, rather than replace, the wide range of existing
provision in the early childhood area
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Development of Practice Frameworks for 0-6 year olds in all
settings
– Síolta, the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood
Education (2006) – developed by the CECDE- an agency of the
Department of Education and Science
– Aistear, the Curriculum Framework for Early Learning (NCCA)
2009
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A Workforce Development Plan for the sector
Aistear –
One Framework catering for
three overlapping phases
Young children
Babies
Toddlers
12
Pre-school year from Jan
2010
Backdrop
 Ireland is in the middle of a recession
 It is anticipated that unemployment will be at 13.75% in 2010
 Extensive savings sought on public expenditure
Why introduce universal pre-school provision?
 To meet the 2002 Barcelona targets
 To deliver on Government commitments
How is it being funded
 It is being funded by the scrapping of the Early Childcare
Supplement (ECS) payment. A direct payment to parents €480m in
2008
 The ECS had been heavily criticised
 The OMCYA had argued strongly against the introduction of the ECS
Other reasons

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The belief that the ECCE sector was in
crisis - children were being
withdrawn from pre-school services as
parents could no longer afford to pay
for that service
The protection of jobs and the current
investment within the sector
Employment Trend 1998 - 2008
Challenges
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Quality of pre-school provision
Equality/Diversity within pre-school services
Support services for children with special
needs
The implementation of Síolta and Aistear
Professionalization of the sector
How to bridge the care/education divide