Donegal County Childcare Committee has today been informed that €6 million in capital funding announced by the Government in 2011 will open for application tomorrow Thursday 2nd February 2011 via the Pobal website.
Please click here to view information sheet.
25th January 2012
The Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald TD has today announced that during 2012 her Department, in consultation with key stakeholders, will develop Ireland’s first National Early Years Strategy, for children aged 0-6 years.
Minister Fitzgerald stated: “We know that early-intervention in children’s lives and quality early childhood experiences are crucial to a child’s emotional, cognitive and social development. As a society we need to work to promote quality childhoods for Irish children not just for their enjoyment but for the good of families, society and the economy.”
“I have therefore asked my Department to prepare, in collaboration with key experts and stakeholders, Ireland’s first National Early Years Strategy. I want this to be an innovative and exciting blueprint for the future strategic development of Ireland’s Early Years Sector.”
“The Strategy will support Irish families in bringing up their children, identifying the services they want to have access to and the information that will help them to be confident and secure parents and to improve outcomes for their children.”
“But this Strategy will also play a significant part in Ireland’s future economic planning. There is an increasing acceptance and focus internationally on the economic benefits accruing from investment in the early years. Longitudinal studies in the US, England France and New Zealand cite returns to the economy of between three and ten times the original investment. In these studies, children who experience high quality preschool are higher achievers in education and in employment and these benefits also transfer to the next generation.”
“In Ireland’s case, the OECD in its 2011 Economic Survey of Ireland emphasized that in order for Ireland ‘to preserve its strengths in human capital’ we should recognise the importance of pre-school education in having ‘both a positive impact on later educational performance and an equity-enhancing effect.”
The proposed Early Years Strategy will cover all aspects of children’s experiences in their early years including health, family support, care and education and will identify the structures and policies needed to improve early year’s experiences in Ireland.
The Minister announced the Early Years Strategy while addressing an OECD High Level Conference in Oslo on January 24th 2012 which was attended by ministers from around the world as well as by experts from the OECD, academics, senior public servants and representatives from the early childhood care and education sector.
To download a copy of the announcement please click here
19 December 2011 marked the final day of the Presents for Percy Appeal.
Money donations to the appeal amounted to a massive €6,500 and this money was mainly used to purchase a range of requested big ticket items such as bicycles and helmets, mobile phones, Playstation 3’s, Nintendo 3DS’s, Xbox 360’s, PSP’s, Flicker’s and helmets, trampolines, football nets and sports and leisure wear for teenagers. Overall, the initiative was a resounding success and surpassed all expectations! Not only did the appeal facilitate all requests submitted to Donegal County Childcare, the organisation was able to make additional toy donations and money donations to SVDP to assist the purchase of home fuel and groceries for families at Christmas.
We have now successfully recruited two Quality Mentors who will take up their posts on 1st February 2012. We are optimistic that the two successful Quality Mentors will have much to offer the project and will be a valuable support to you and your staff team.
Watch the video of the launch here.
I would like to invite you and your team to an introductory meeting of the 12 Professional Pedagogy Projects Groups on Thursday 16th February 2012 at 7pm in The Radisson Blu Hotel, Letterkenny. This will give you and your team an opportunity to network with early childhood groups that you may not be familiar with and also to meet the two new Quality Mentors. I would encourage as many of your team to be in attendance as possible.
The meeting will be used to provide an overview on the following areas:
• arrangements for Stage 1 of the Training and Mentoring Programme.
The HSE Pre-School Inspection team have provided two information sheets for early childhood settings outlining recommendations for the appropriate storage and heating of bottles and also on the use of specific cleaning materials within the setting. It is important that such procedures are noted and amended within specific policies if necessary.
Please click here to view the recommendations for the appropriate storage and heating of bottles.
Please click here to view the information sheet regarding the use of specific cleaning materials within the setting.
Work is now well underway with the Professional Pedagogy Project. Twelve initial offers were made in late November and only one early childhood setting declined the offer leaving the first reserve obtaining a place on the much coveted programme.
Six community childcare services and six private childcare services will take part in the PPP. The final line up is now Little Stars, Moville; Bizzy Bees, Clonmany; Donagh Crèche, Carndonagh; Quigley’s Point Community Centre Playgroup; Bomany Nursery, Pre-School and Montessori, Letterkenny; Errigal Montessori School and Crèche, Letterkenny; Crossroads and Killygordon Pre-School; Raphoe Community Playgroup; Creeslough Community Childcare Centre; Little Stars, Donegal Town; Ardara Community Childcare Centre and Bundoran Community Childcare.
In late December, two suitably qualified Quality Mentors were recruited and will take up post on 1st February 2012. Donegal County Childcare are optimistic that the two Quality Mentors will have much to offer and will be a valuable support to participating early childhood services over the life of the project.
An introductory information evening for the 12 Professional Pedagogy Project Groups will take place on Thursday 16th February 2012 at 7pm in Letterkenny. This will give participating groups an opportunity to meet each other and also to meet the two Quality Mentors. A complete outline of the first stage of implementation will be provided during this meeting.
Other progress on the PPP to date includes:
- A bespoke Impact Recording Database (a monitoring system that has been developed specifically to record the progress of each group on the project) is now in the final stages of development with BR Consulting.
- the Online Discussion Forum (this is also a new system and will be used as a mechanism for peer support between participating groups) is also at the testing stage of development
- A Baseline Assessment recording tool has been developed and tested
- All initial information has been submitted to the national evaluation team Trutz Haase and Kieran McKeown and engagement with early childhood service staff will commence in January 2012.
Following the introductory information evening, the first task that the Quality Mentors will be to carry out will be the PPP Baseline Assessment with all 12 participating services. The baseline assessment is a very important element of the programme as this will measure all progress made by each participating group over the duration of the project.
Once all preparatory work concerning the national and local evaluation of the project is complete, stage 1 of the training programme will commence. It is envisaged that this will be in March 2012.
I hope that this provides you with some useful information regarding the PPP, I appreciate your patience as I am aware that the project is a little behind schedule due to a range of unforeseen demands and challenges that a new programme like this brings … Avril
We would like to acknowledge the support and generosity of early childhood services, parents, local businesses and the general public who got behind the appeal and made it a success.
Money donations to the appeal amounted to a massive €6,500 and that this money was mainly used to purchase a range of requested big ticket items such as bicycles and helmets, mobile phones, Playstation 3’s, Nintendo 3DS’s, Xbox 360’s, PSP’s, Flicker’s and helmets, trampolines, football nets and sports and leisure wear for teenagers.
Please click here to view the final Presents for Percy Pledge List.
Yesterday, 19th December marked the final day of the Presents for Percy Appeal. All toys, gifts and donations have now been distributed across the county. Overall, the initiative has been a resounding success and has surpassed all expectations! As you know, the appeal was ambitious as it adopted a targeted approach where Donegal County Childcare accepted specific wish lists from a range of agencies working with children and families. The idea behind this was to prevent parents from getting into debt and ensuring that children got toys and gifts what they actually wanted for Christmas. We are now delighted to reveal that it worked!
Not only did the appeal facilitate all requests submitted to Donegal County Childcare, the organisation was able to make additional toy donations and money donations to SVDP to assist the purchase of home fuel and groceries for families at Christmas.
Money donations to the appeal amounted to a massive €6,500 and that this money was mainly used to purchase a range of requested big ticket items such as bicycles and helmets, mobile phones, Playstation 3’s, Nintendo 3DS’s, Xbox 360’s, PSP’s, Flicker’s and helmets, trampolines, football nets and sports and leisure wear for teenagers.
We would like to acknowledge the support and generosity of early childhood services, parents, local businesses and the general public who got behind the appeal and made it a success. Thanks to all who acted as collection centres for the appeal including Spraoi agus Spórt, Carndonagh; Foys, Ballybofey; Bikes and Toys, Carndonagh; Letterkenny Shopping Centre; Proper Price Toys, Donegal Town; Toymaster, Letterkenny and Spraoi le Chéile, Dungloe.
Thanks also to the agencies that acted as distributors of the toys including Parentstop, Carndonagh; Donegal Womens Domestic Violence Centre, Letterkenny; SVDP Castlefinn, SVDP Clonmany, SVDP Stranorlar, St Johnston Family Resource Centre, Action Inishowen, SVDP Donegal and those agencies that wish to remain anonymous.
Thanks to Smart Energy Donegal, Colin McMonagle and Gerard McGlynn for the supply of transport and manpower to get all the toys to the distribution agencies! Finally, a huge thanks to everyone who made donations – large or small. The collective efforts of the Presents for Percy Appeal has made a huge difference to children across County Donegal – go raibh mile maith agaibh!
Tuesdays budget outlined cuts in funding in relation to a range of early childhood support programmes. Please click on the link below to see the guidance document provided by DCYA on 6th December 2011.
Donegal County Childcare Committee Ltd.
Glenview Business Park,
Donegal Road, Ballybofey,
Co. Donegal, Ireland.
Tel: 074 91 32416
Fax: 074 91 30314
info@donegalchildcare.com
Copyright © 2012 Donegal County Childcare Committee Ltd.
