Articles of Interest June 2012

Survey finds a quarter of pre-schoolers overweight

Almost a quarter of pre-school children are overweight or obese but are within the normal weight ranges by four years of age, new research has found.

The National Pre-school Nutrition Survey studied 500 children aged one to four years and found a higher incidence of overweight or obesity in children aged two (27 per cent) and three (32 per cent). Some 8 per cent of four-year-olds were overweight or obese.

See also : Parents: Food fads stop children having healthy diets

Read  Early Childhood Ireland’s response to the results of the National Pre-school Nutrition Survey.

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Minister Frances Fitzgerald TD publishes Report of the Independent Child Death Review Group 2000-2010

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald TD, is publishing the Report of the Independent Child Death Review Group. In her response, the Minister states that “the current government reform agenda represents an essential response to legacy of child protection failures.

Speaking at the publication of the report, Minister Fitzgerald said; “Before this Government took office; there was conflicting data about the numbers of children who died in state care. The lack of transparency and the lack of accountability, shocked. It was utterly unacceptable that the state could not even tell how many children had died in state care.

Early Childhood Ireland is appalled and saddened by the findings of the ‘Report of the Independent Child Death Review Group 2000-2012’. Read Early Childhood Ireland’s full response to the findings of the Report.

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Referendum on children’s rights to be held this Autumn

A referendum on children’s rights to be held in the autumn will proceed on a “stand-alone” basis, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has told the Dáil.

The Tánaiste said that because of the importance of “this particular issue” it was intended to be held on its own.The Tánaiste highlighted the Government’s decision to prioritise the “needs and protection of children, the establishment of a dedicated department, and the putting of guidelines on a statutory basis and the ringfencing of budgets”

Teresa Heeney, Chief Operations Officer, Early Childhood Ireland says:  “As the representative group for over 80% of preschools and day care centres supporting over 80,000 children nationwide, Early Childhood Ireland welcomes the announcement today that the Children’s Rights Referendum will take place in the autumn.  This referendum is already high on the agenda of our regional meetings taking place throughout June where we invite childcare professionals as well as parents and all those interested in shaping the lives of young children in Ireland to voice their concerns and suggestions and help us to shape Ireland’s first National Early Years strategy.”

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Minister Fitzgerald announces extension of the Growing Up in Ireland Study to include data on five year olds

Frances Fitzgerald T.D., Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has announced an extension of Growing Up in Ireland, the National Longitudinal Study of Children.

Minister Fitzgerald stated “The Growing Up in Ireland study is providing us with essential and invaluable data about the life experiences of our children. I am delighted to announce that funding has been secured to collect data about children at one of the most important transitions in their lives, the start of primary schooling.

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Motivation and self-confidence vital to childhood literacy, reports find

A series of new reports highlight the importance of children’s motivation and self-confidence when it comes to developing literacy skills.

They also point to the need for parents and teachers to create a culture of reading and writing for pleasure.

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Rise in reports of suspected child abuse

Social services are under significant strain and dealt with almost 30,000 reports of suspected abuse or neglect of children in 2010, according to official reports to be published shortly.

The findings are in the Health Service Executive’s Review of Adequacy of Child and Family Services for 2010 and 2009.

The HSE is obliged under law to produce these reports annually, but has not done so in recent years. The reports for these two years are due soon.

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National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) invite you to have your say

The NCCA is redeveloping the Primary Curriculum and inviting you to share your views on what you think the purpose(s) of primary education in Ireland should be for today’s children and tomorrow’s world.

Have your say about priorities for the primary curriculum.The closing date for submissions is the 30th June.