Early Childhood Ireland’s National Pyjama Day is the largest one-day fundraising event organised by the Early Years and School Age Care sector in Ireland. This year marks the 20th anniversary of National Pyjama Day, and we are proud to have raised over €4 million, to date, for projects and charities that support babies and children. Our motto is “Children helping Children and having fun!”

It’s very simple. Children and staff at Early Years and School Age Care settings all across Ireland are sponsored to wear their pyjamas all day on Early Childhood Ireland’s National Pyjama Day. This is when the magic happens – children take part in den making, playful pillow fights, PJ picnics, bear hunts, storytelling, nursery rhymes and many other activities. Importantly, these activities are also an opportunity for settings to highlight the play-based, child-centred Early Years curriculum, which underpins practice and nurtures children at this vital time in their young lives.

We asked you, our members, to select our charity partner, which can help us achieve this tangible change in the lives of children.

Early Childhood Ireland partners with the Community Foundation Ireland who carry out a closed call for proposals, complete due diligence, provide robust grant management and oversee grant reporting of the National Pyjama Day charity partner.

Early Childhood Ireland’s Board has formally adopted the Charities Governance Code, as well as the Guidelines for Charitable Organisations on Fundraising from the Public as devised by the Charities Regulator. Early Childhood Ireland has received the Charities Institute Ireland Triple Lock certification for its good fundraising, transparent reporting, and good governance practice. The Early Childhood Ireland commitment to our existing donors and to our potential new donors is outlined in our Donor Charter. Further details on: Governance and Funding – Early Childhood Ireland

• AsIAm
• Chime
• Children in Hospital Ireland
• DeafHear.ie
• Disability Equality Specialist Support Agency (DESSA)
• Down Syndrome Ireland
• Irish Hospice Foundation
• Irish Neonatal Health Alliance
• The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation
• Make A Wish Foundation
• National Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation
• Respond Housing Association
• ReCreate Ireland
• Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus
• Temple Street Children’s University Hospital

All grants benefited a range of projects undertaken by these charities, each of which supported babies and children and their families.

If you register for Early Childhood Ireland’s National Pyjama Day and receive our fundraising materials, you cannot raise funds for a charity of your choice. All donations raised for National Pyjama Day are raised for Early Childhood Ireland’s National Pyjama Fund. Please see our Terms and Conditions for more information.

You can register to take part by clicking here.
Alternatively, you can call our office on 01 405 7100 and we will be happy to get you registered over the phone.

Once you have registered for the event, you will receive an email confirming you have signed up to take part. Your fundraising materials will follow, either by post or email depending on whether you opted for a physical or digital pack during the registration process.

All members of Early Childhood Ireland can register to take part in National Pyjama Day. Members of the public who wish to support the event and raise funds for babies and children can make a donation via the Early Childhood Ireland website, Donate here

If you decide not to take part in National Pyjama Day after you have registered, you must:

a) Email us at nationalpyjamaday@earlychildhoodireland.ie to let us know you are no longer taking part before the event starts.

or

b) Call our office on 01 405 7100 before the event starts to let a members of Early Childhood Ireland’s National Pyjama Day team know that you are no longer taking part in the event

Alternatively, you can download a digital pack from the Members Area on our website.

When registering to take part in National Pyjama Day, you will be asked to choose whether you would like to receive a physical pack or a digital pack. The contents are very similar. The physical pack will include:

• Information leaflet about the event
• Two posters for your setting
• A sticker for each child
• A sponsorship envelope for each child
• 1 National Pyjama Day storybook, ‘Adventures in Dreamland’, for your setting
• 1 National Pyjama Day storybook, ‘Adventures in Dreamland’, for each child to take home
• A link to some specially developed video content of fun activities to celebrate National Pyjama Day

The digital pack will have links to printable versions of all materials, with the exception of stickers. Please note that for safety and environmental reasons, we have not included balloons in our fundraising packs.

Please allow 10 working days for your pack to reach you.

If you have not received your Early Childhood Ireland National Pyjama Day pack within 10 working days of registration, please email

nationalpyjamaday@earlychildhoodireland.ie or contact us on (01) 405 7100 and one of the team will follow up for you.

We cannot guarantee that we can get extra materials to you on time, however we will try our absolute best to accommodate your request. Give us a call on (01) 405 7100 or email nationalpyjamaday@earlychildhoodireland.ie.

Alternatively, you can download a digital pack from the Members Area on our website.

Online – Donation Link

The quickest and easiest way to return donations is online, using your setting’s unique donation link. This was sent to you by email after you registered to participate in National Pyjama Day. Feel free to share this link with your parents, who may prefer to donate directly online rather than in cash using the sponsorship envelope.  

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)

You can also lodge funds raised to the National Pyjama Day bank account by EFT. It is essential that you use your Early Childhood Ireland membership number as a reference when making payment.

IBAN:   IE35AIBK93104742449489

BIC:      AIBKIE2D

Cheque

If paying by cheque, please note your membership number on the back as a reference.

Make payable to ‘National Pyjama Day’ and post it to:

Early Childhood Ireland

Hainault House

Belgard Square

Tallaght

Dublin 24

D24 RFV0

Yes, you absolutely can! Friday, 17 November 2023 is the official day for National Pyjama Day events. However, if you need to hold your event on another day that is more convenient, that’s fine. Please note that all funds raised as part of National Pyjama Day must be returned to Early Childhood Ireland for disbursement via Community Foundation Ireland.