What’s New

Statement from Teresa Heeney CEO of Early Childhood Ireland “Tusla, the Child and Family Agency agency charged with inspection of preschools, must be held to account for too few inspectors, too few inspections and too little progress in delivering a

Where you live can have a direct bearing on the standard of your local crèche, the Irish Independent can reveal. Pre-school centres in the west of the country are reaching higher standards than in Dublin and Leinster due to better

Jack & Jill nurses (L-R) Joanne Doyle (covers Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny); Mary-Joe Guilfoyle (covers Kildare); Cathy Keighery (Longford, Westmeath, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim, Galway); Marie Bowen (Waterford, Cork, South Tipperary); Fiona Callaghan (Wicklow, Dublin, Kildare); Anne Reilly (Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth,

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr James Reilly TD, has announced that almost €7 million in capital funding has been allocated to 2,415 grantees, with 60 childcare centres receiving funding in the North County. A total of €5 million

In a letter sent to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr James Reilly, the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) today called for the introduction of an affordable quality childcare infrastructure, complemented by paid leave to reconcile work

Affordable childcare must be made available if women are to pay a full part in public and civil life, the National Women’s Council of Ireland has said. In a letter sent to Minister for Children James Reilly, the women’s council

Cong Digital will be held at Ashford Castle. The first in Ireland to offer free childcare for speakers Congregation Digital Technology Un-conference, held in Cong, Co Mayo, has, historically, enjoyed a 60:40 ratio of men to women, and always strives

The Yates Anthology: We must broaden debate on childcare The debate surrounding Children’s Minister James Reilly’s Inter-Departmental Group Report into future childcare services is uniformly one dimensional. The singular narrative for parents of children under four years is childcare is

There was 14.4 babies born per 1,000 residents in the State last year, easily eclipsing the EU average of 10.1 In stark contrast, Ireland also recorded one of Europe’s lowest death rates at 6.4pc per 1,000 residents – some distance

Grandparents are providing valuable childcare supports, but more Government investment is needed for equal access to formal childcare and improvements in its quality, researchers have said. The study of the types of childcare used by children at different ages, and

Access to childcare outside ECCE hours dependent on parents’ income and education One of the key recommendations of the Tusla study is that the focus of childcare policy must broaden from just the early years. There is a necessity for

Better language skills at age 3 if young minded by relatives but young looked after in creches develop better motor-skills by same age, says Túsla research Infants cared for by a relative develop better language skills by the age of

Taking the stress out of starting preschool by being prepared Tips from Beaumont Community Playgroup, located in St. Fiachra’s School grounds Beaumont for the past 22 years  These days, Beaumont Community Playgroup is helping local families to avoid the stress

The Government remains determined to coax single parents off welfare and back into jobs, despite mass protests outside the Dáil last week. On July 2, the age limit for the One-Parent Family Payment will be reduced to seven for most

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs has rowed back on its promise that every childcare worker will need a minimum qualification by this September. ANY ONE OF us who watched the Prime Time Programme A Breach of Trust will remember the

Busy parents of primary school children may see it as a much-needed digout. They are waiting to see what the government’s long-awaited plans for subsidised after-school care consist of. growing number of parents are struggling to fit in school hours

‘Lack of assistants means kids can’t get help they require’: Free pre-school places for special needs children under threat The Department of Children and Youth Affairs admitted access to the free pre-school year for children with special needs was ‘not

Looking for a job in Childcare? New childcare jobs announced this week in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Kerry on our free childcare jobs website! Some of the positions available are: Childcare Manager Baby Room Assistant Preschool leader position Fetac Level

Marketing, and especially online marketing, is an important part of any business that wants to perform well in a competitive market. Getting found by the people who want what you have to offer is the main building block to a successful business.

Childcare workers will take to the streets in demand for fair pay with public rallies planned in Dublin, Cork and Sligo. The rallies, which plan to highlight the low wages of early childhood professionals, will take place on Saturday June

Subsidised after-school childcare and paid paternity leave are just some of the new measures under consideration by the Government. An afterschool childcare programme already exists for low income families, with the State paying €40 a week per child. Minister James

Children raise a whopping €300,000 through Early Childhood Ireland National Pyjama Day for Irish Autism Action, as the ‘pirates’ present the loot today in The Cottage Kids Playschool in Tyrellstown, Lusk on behalf of the 100,000 children nationwide involved in