Member Update ….May 2014

We know our members are extremely busy so we have compiled a summary of what’s going on below:

Statement from Teresa Heeney, CEO of Early Childhood Ireland regarding the Minister for Children & Youth Affairs

Early Childhood Ireland thanks children’s champion Frances Fitzgerald Minister for Justice and welcomes Charlie Flanagan new Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, whose priority challenge must be to fuel the early childhood education sector with the right level of investment.

Read full press release

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Early Childhood Ireland launches ‘Getting the Best Start’

The Early Childhood Ireland 2015 Pre budget Submission is entitled Getting The Best Start and has been developed following a nationwide consultation process with members. Getting the Best Start has been prepared now so that it can be used by our members in discussions with local and European election candidates, as well as with members of the Oireachtas. It will form the basis of our advocacy campaign for additional investment in our sector for the next 12 months.

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Early Childhood Ireland welcomes launch of “Better Outcomes Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014-2020”

Early Years Sector must be a priority for Investment

Statement from Teresa Heeney, CEO of Early Childhood Ireland:

“We welcome the publication of ‘Better Outcomes Brighter Future’ by Frances Fitzgerald Minister for Children and her Cabinet colleagues today. The stated commitment by the Departments of Children, Health and Education to ensuring quality services for children with disabilities, is particularly timely and something our members have been calling for…..

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Share your views:

The consultation on the Draft Primary Language Curriculum for all children from Junior Infants to Second Class in English-medium and Irish-medium schools is taking place. It responds to teachers’ feedback on ways to improve the ’99 curriculum for English and Gaeilge and it reflects new research and development in children’s language learning.

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Training Update – Fetac Level 5 and 6 courses

There will be more Fetac Level 5 and 6 courses scheduled SOON so keep an eye on our website. Members and those people who fill out the expression of interest form will be emailed directly, as soon as these courses have been confirmed.

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Jobs Board

Members can now advertise for staff for free on Early Childhood Ireland’s website. See our Employers page for more details.

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Publications Update

A reminder to members you can now order publications online. Simply login to the Early Childhood Ireland publications page and place your order.

Each month Early Childhood Ireland will be offering our members a discount on one of our publications. This month we are offering 16% off ‘Early Years Practice, Getting it right from the start’ by Noirin Hayes.Order online here.

New courier rates – Early Childhood Ireland would like to inform our members that we have renegotiated a new fixed courier rate for 12 months for both Dublin and country so instead of paying €14.00 for your publications to be couriered we have reduced this down to €10.00.

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Childcare issues not just the concern of parents

Irish Times-21 Apr 2014

Teresa Heeney, the new chief executive of Early Childhood Ireland (ECI): ‘Fees to parents can’t go up – it’s as simple as that.

The cost of childcare has to increase. There’s no getting away from that unpalatable fact in the current drive for improved standards in the Republic’s early childhood care and education centres.

The question is who’s going to pay? The “squeezed”, tax-paying families who already spend more of their take-home pay on childcare than parents in almost any other country in the world? Or a State that is still looking to cut, not increase, its current spending in the next budget?

“Fees to parents can’t go up – it’s as simple as that. There has to be a different way of building the system,” says the new chief executive of Early Childhood Ireland (ECI), Teresa Heeney. And she’s very clear that providers can’t absorb the financial implications of higher standards, more training and better qualified staff.

Read full article here…