OECD ECEC Network Catherine Hynes Department of Education

OECD ECEC Network Catherine Hynes Department of Education and Science, Ireland

Country Profile Republic of Ireland: Population: 4. 23 m (April 2006) Land Area: 68, 890 sq km Rising birth rate + 16% approx Number of children birth to six: 418, 612 (10 % of population) 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 n n n 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) 1996 regulations revoked by the (No 2) Regulations 2006. – The 2006 Regulations focus more on the child’s learning, development and well-being

Since the 1990 s n 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) n Developments since then include the National Children’s Strategy 2000

Investment Since 2000 n The Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000 -2006 – Set up a network of 33 City and County Childcare Committees. Their job n n 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 n n Investment in Infrastructure – – Around 41, 000 places Over € 500 m expended Successor Programme – National Childcare Investment Programme 2006 -2010

Split System n Historically, the care and education of a young child were seen as separate with care being a health responsibility n Church influence on the autonomy of the family Pattern of workforce participation by mothers of young children n Ireland’s split system has meant n The development of a separate physical infrastructure for pre-school services and school services n Separate legislative basis n Separate inspection system n Separate qualification basis n Development of a caste system whereby the ECCE sector is low paid, without much status compared to the primary school system n Disconnect between the play based learning in pre-school services and the more formal curriculum of Junior and Senior Infants n 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 n Historically, the care and education of a young child were seen as separate with care being a health responsibility n Church influence on the autonomy of the family Pattern of workforce participation by mothers of young children n Ireland’s split system has meant n The development of a separate physical infrastructure for pre-school services and school services n Separate legislative basis n Separate inspection system n Separate qualification basis n Development of a caste system whereby the ECCE sector is low paid, without much status compared to the primary school system n Disconnect between the play based learning in pre-school services and the more formal curriculum of Junior and Senior Infants n 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 n 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 n 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 n Ireland is in the middle of a recession n It is anticipated that unemployment will be at 13. 75% in 2010 n Extensive savings sought on public expenditure Why introduce universal pre-school provision? n To meet the 2002 Barcelona targets n To deliver on Government commitments How is it being funded n It is being funded by the scrapping of the Early Childcare Supplement (ECS) payment. A direct payment to parents € 480 m in 2008 n The ECS had been heavily criticised n The OMCYA had argued strongly against the introduction of the ECS

Other reasons 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 n The protection of jobs and the current investment within the sector n

Employment Trend 1998 - 2008

Challenges n n n 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