Send us a textIn this episode we return to the topic of children's rights, participation and safeguarding. We were delighted to be joined by Tanya Ward, CEO of the Children's Rights Alliance. We discuss the areas in which Ireland is performing well in relation to children's rights and the areas in which improvements are needed.We touch on how slow relational pedagogy as outlined in Aistear 2024 plays a key role in educators being able to hear the many ways in which children express themselves. Finally, Tanya shares the three key areas where significant progress needs to be made to ensure that all children in Ireland have their rights respected.
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Enhancing Leadership Practices, with Siobhán Barrett and Dr Christina Egan Marnell
Send us a textIn this episode we discuss a recent CPD programme we developed in Early Childhood Ireland with a group of educators, called Enhancing Leadership Practices. Dr Christina Egan Marnell outlines the background to and development of the programme. Siobhán Barrett, from Cahir Bears Community Creche in Cahir, Co Tipperary, was one of the participants in the programme. We chat to her about what pedagogical leadership means to her, her experience on the programme and about how she is supporting her colleagues to see themselves as leaders in their role.
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Aistear Síolta Practice Guide with Lorraine Farrell
Send us a textIn light of the Updated Aistear in 2024, the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide has also been updated to reflect the changes made to the Aistear Framework. In this episode of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast, Lorraine Farrell from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment takes us through key changes and discusses how the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide can be used by educators to support reflection and develop practice. The Aistear Síolta Practice Guide can be found on the Nurturing Skills website.
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Name the Date, with Frances Byrne
Send us a textEarly Childhood Ireland is calling on the Government to announce on Budget Day a date for bringing Early Years and School Age Care graduates within public sector pay and conditions, in line with teachers. In this episode, Frances Byrne, Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland takes us through the rationale for this ask in our Budget 2026 submission.
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Valuing Childhood, with Wendy Lee
Send us a textIn a very special episode, to mark the very special milestone of our 100 episode, we were delighted to have a wide-ranging conversation with Wendy Lee. Wendy is the Director of the Educational Leadership Project in New Zealand. Wendy discussed the importance of relationships, values, celebrating children's learning journeys and importance of ensuring childhood is valued as a right by policy makers and educators.
Early Childhood is the leading national children’s advocacy and membership organisation. We work in partnership with Early Years, School Age Care and Childminding settings to ensure that every child is thriving and learning. We advocate for an effective and inclusive system which values, supports and invests in childhood, children and services. Our Vision is that every child is thriving and learning in quality Early Years and School Age Care in centre-based and Childminding settings. Our Mission is to champion quality for children in Early Years, School Age Care and Childminding settings, through our work with our members and on the system.