Show Notes
Send us Fan Mail Early 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.
More from Early Childhood Ireland's Podcast
Send us Fan Mail Small moments of connection with plants, animals, and local habitats can inspire a lifelong appreciation for biodiversity and conservation. In conversation with Mark Nolan from Biodiversity in Schools and Lorraine Diggins, Early Childhood Specialist at Early Childhood Ireland, we explore how we can deepen our connection with nature, support biodiversity, and strengthen conservation efforts in early years settings. We will consider how meaningful experiences in nature he...
Send us Fan Mail In early childhood care and education, we often talk about the importance of partnerships with parents, but what does a genuine partnership actually look like in practice? In this episode, Racheal Govan, Managing Director of Footprints Early Years and Claire Butterly, National Coordinator LINC programme, share their perspectives and insights on: · What do we mean by genuine partnerships · Why relationships matt...
Send us Fan Mail Aistear (2024) reminds us that every baby, toddler and young child develops at their own pace and in their own unique way. A slow relational pedagogy offers a thoughtful approach to supporting this development—one that prioritises time, deep listening, attunement and, most importantly, nurturing meaningful relationships. In this episode, we are joined by Adele Evans, an experienced and passionate Early Years professional. Adele shares her insights and reflections on embedding...
Send us Fan Mail A core aspect of the work of Early Childhood Ireland over the past number of years has been Childminding. We led the Erasmus programme, Qual FDC in 2023, a European based project which focused on quality in family day care (as Childminding is often referred to). In 2024 we conducted a literature review, with Stranmillis College in Belfast, into the existing research on Childminding and regular listeners may have heard a previous episode discussing that piece of work, linked b...
Send us Fan Mail Our guest today is Dr. Colette Murray, from Technical University, Dublin who was an advisor on the From Rhetoric to Reality research Early Childhood Ireland conducted in 2025. In this research we wanted to investigate the inclusiveness of Irish ECE settings for members of the Traveller community, focusing on young Traveller children’s perspectives and experiences of inclusion in their preschools. Colette speaks about the importance of this work and how support is needed at sy...