National Pyjama Day 2023

Early Childhood Ireland National Annual Awards 2021

How to Apply

Applications will only be accepted online through the Early Childhood Ireland conference website. The application form is the same for each of the awards. Please complete it in full and upload the supporting documents for the award you are entering.  Only completed applications forms will be accepted.

Please email kwhitham@earlychildhoodireland.ie if you have any questions.

Who can apply?

To be eligible for the following award categories services must hold a current Early Childhood Ireland provider membership throughout the full award process, from application to award being received:

Category 1 – Learning Story of the Year Award

Category 2 – Inspired Practice Award

Category 3 – Partnership with Families Innovation Award

Category 6 – Pedagogical Leader Award

Additionally:

  1. Provide a form of early learning and care and/or school age childcare to children.
  2. Tusla registered.
  3. Deemed by Tulsa’s Early Years Inspectorate to have sufficiently met the national regulatory requirements and are not subject to Tusla enforcement action.
  4. Evidence of good practice through DES Inspection Report (where applicable).
  5. Only services that have appointed a LINC graduate as an Inclusion Coordinator (INCO) are eligible to nominate a candidate for the  Leadership for Inclusion Award sponsored by LINC.
  6. Only services that have not previously entered any Early Childhood Ireland Awards categories are eligible to apply for the Learning Story of the Year from a ‘Newcomer’.

Note: where a service submitting an entry to the awards is owned/operated by a person or organisation/franchise with more than one service, all the services/franchises must be Tusla registered, be deemed to have sufficiently met the required national regulatory standards and should not be subject to Tusla enforcement action.