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 below.  In 2025, we conducted two more research projects, funded by the DCDE, into aspects of childminding and that is what we are going to hear about today. To tell us about the policy context methodologies and findings we were joined by Frances Byrne, Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland and by Liz Kerrins, Research Director, at Early Childhood Ireland. 

Podcast episode: Childminding: Exploring the research literature, with Dr Suzanne McCartney and Liz Kerrins 

Scéalta blog: Childminding in Denmark  

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 systemic and setting level to ensure that all children feel a sense of belonging in their Early Years setting. You can find the report here 

In this episode we are going to look at one of the really significant benefits of the group insurance scheme available to Early Childhood Ireland members, through Arachas Insurance. To explain the benefits available through the group insurance scheme we are really pleased to be joined by Brendan Little and Paula Walshe from ARAG, who work with Arachas to provide a range of Legal, HR and Counselling supports. Arachas policyholders, on the Group Scheme, can contact the services outlined by phoning  01-6707470

In this episode we are joined by Superintendent Niall Featherstone and Inspector Marisa Costello, from the Garda National Vetting Bureau to discuss the legislative basis for Garda Vetting, the importance of correct validation of identity and some misconceptions that can arise.   

National Pyjama Day, brought to you by Early Childhood Ireland is a favourite day on the calendar for children and educators all over the country. This year marks the 22nd National Pyjama Day and funds raised will support LauraLynn, Ireland's Children's hospice and will continue to support the Early Childhood Ireland member projects Eco- Emotions. For this special episode of the podcast we are joined by Rebecca Candon, Family Support Team Manager at LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice and by Lorraine Diggins, Early Childhood Specialist at Early Childhood Ireland and project lead on the Eco-Emotions project. 

Aistear (2024) includes, as a Principle, the concept of the Agentic Educator. In this episode, Grainne McKenna, from Dublin City University outlines her thoughts on this concept and explores links to the 'Self-Efficacy' theories of Albert Bandura. She also mentioned the literature review commissioned by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment as part of the process of updating Aistear, which you can find here.  

Grainne also refers to a journal article called Turn-over and Retention Among Head-Start Educators (Vicente et al 2025) and that is linked here. 

In this episode we return to the topic of children's rights, participation and safeguarding. We were delighted to be joined by Tanya Ward, CEO of the Children's Rights Alliance. We discuss the areas in which Ireland is performing well in relation to children's rights and the areas in which improvements are needed.

We touch on how slow relational pedagogy as outlined in Aistear 2024 plays a key role in educators being able to hear the many ways in which children express themselves. Finally, Tanya shares the three key areas where significant progress needs to be made to ensure that all children in Ireland have their rights respected.

In this episode we discuss a recent CPD programme we developed in Early Childhood Ireland with a group of educators, called Enhancing Leadership Practices. Dr Christina Egan Marnell outlines the background to and development of the programme.  Siobhán Barrett, from Cahir Bears Community Creche in Cahir, Co Tipperary, was one of the participants in the programme. We chat to her about what pedagogical leadership means to her, her experience on the programme and about how she is supporting her colleagues to see themselves as leaders in their role. 

In light of the Updated Aistear in 2024, the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide has also been updated to reflect the changes made to the Aistear Framework. In this episode of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast, Lorraine Farrell from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment takes us through key changes and discusses how the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide can be used by educators to support reflection and develop practice. The Aistear Síolta Practice Guide can be found on the Nurturing Skills website. 

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.  

In a very special episode, to mark the very special milestone of our 100 episode, we were delighted to have a wide-ranging conversation with Wendy Lee. Wendy is the Director of the Educational Leadership Project in New Zealand.  Wendy discussed the importance of relationships, values, celebrating children's learning journeys and importance of ensuring childhood is valued as a right by policy makers and educators. 

In this week’s episode of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast Taking Part in TIME, we hear from Claire Walsh and Marsela Vangjeli, both from The Children’s Village in Balbriggan. They chat about the Practitioner Inquiry project they worked on when they took part in the TIME CPD programme earlier this year and the impact this had on their setting. The TIME CPD programme and the new member resource, now available on the Early Childhood Ireland Learning Hub was funded by the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal. 

Members and regular listeners know that the work of Early Childhood Ireland is influenced and inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach. In April of this year, we were saddened to learn of the death of Carla Rinaldi, who was Honorary President of Reggio Children and the Centro Loris Malaguzzi. To pay tribute to this shining light and examine some of the ways in which she has influenced the Early Years and School Age Care sector in Ireland we are delighted to be joined by Milica Atanackovic, Acting Director of Membership, Excellence and Learning at Early Childhood Ireland. 

We were delighted to chat with Dr Aaron Bradbury from Nottingham Trent University in the UK. Aaron recently edited a document called Play Matters and in this special conversation to mark International Day of Play we discuss the joy of play, slow relational pedagogy and advocating for play.  As Aaron says, the possibilities that come from play are endless! 

Early Childhood Ireland is delighted to introduce a brand new member CPD resource called TIME: Thriving through Interactions and Meaningful Engagements. In this episode we discuss the programme with Dr Christina Egan Marnell, from Early Childhood Ireland. We chat about how it was developed, how will support educators to reflect on and develop their engagements with children. The development of the CPD programme and resource was supported by the RTE Toy Show Appeal. Early Childhood Ireland members can access the course here

What does consulting with children mean, how do we do this? In this episode Prof Deirdre Horgan from University College Cork takes us through her work with Hub na nÓg developing the recently published toolkit to support consulting with children. She discusses how so much consultation goes on with children everyday and gives ideas on how we can recognise this and capture it. 

You can find the toolkit referred to here  https://hubnanog.ie/resources/toolkit-guidance/?_sft_post_tag=toolkits  

If you would like to hear the earlier episode about the Children's Participation framework with Prof. Laura Lundy and Anne O'Donnell, you will find it here  https://earlychildhoodirelandpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1541473/episodes/9314091-exploring-the-national-framework-for-children-and-young-people-s-participation-in-decision-making-with-prof-laura-lundy-and-anne-o-donnell

This week we talk to Valerie Gaynor, Manager of Creative Kids and Co in Dublin, who participated in the NCCA's Updating Aistear Development Group about her experiences of the process. She also discusses how the updated Aistear is impacting on practice in her setting.    

Today, 22 April is World Earth Day. To mark this important day we were delighted to chat about the enhanced focus on Sustainability in the Updated Aistear, with Dr Marlene McCormack, from Dublin City University. In this episode Marlene discusses how values play a role in attitudes to sustainability, with a mindset of caring at it's heart. She gives practical ideas on how we can support children and families to think of sustainability and ecology. 

This week we chat with Grahame Brown, Account Director at Arachas Insurance. Grahame takes us through what a Group Insurance scheme is and outlines the benefits contained in the Early Childhood Ireland scheme which is underwritten by Allianz and administered by Arachas.  

In a new series of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast, we are exploring the recently Updated Aistear. In this episode, Fiona Kelleher, from Early Childhood Ireland tells us about the consultation process carried out with babies, toddlers and young children as part of the updating process. She discusses some key findings and shows how these findings influenced the updated Principles of Aistear. 

The reports Fiona mentioned on the Consultations with babies, toddlers and young children can be read here. 

Phase one 

Phase two  

These consultations were conducted by Early Childhood Ireland, Maynooth University and Stranmillis University College, on behalf of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. 

In a special episode of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast to celebrate International Women's Day we invited the Chair and the CEO of Early Childhood Ireland Sheila Nunan and Teresa Heeney to have a conversation. In the episode we explore leadership, gender equality, and the work for better pay and conditions in Early Years and School Age Care. 

 In the context of International Women’s Day, the discussion  highlights the personal experiences of these two women leading the largest national children’s advocacy and membership organisation in Ireland. We shed light on the broader reality for the predominantly female workforce (97%) in the sector, one that is essential for children, as well as to Ireland’s economy and society, yet is undervalued and underpaid.  

In this episode of the podcast, we delve into the findings of the eighth annual Barometer, with Director of Policy Frances Byrne. This opinion poll is conducted for Early Childhood Ireland, by Red C and explores public attitudes to Early Years and related issues. 

This episode of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast provides an update on the Eco-Emotions suite of materials and resources. Guest, Milica Atanackovic, tells us how Eco-Emotions was created to support educators to develop a deeper appreciation of the importance of co and self-regulation and the role nature pedagogy can play in this for children. Milica also discusses the plans to extend the resources in 2025.   

Aistear, the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework has been updated. In this episode we chat to Dr Sharon Skehill from the NCCA about some of the key developments and changes in the Framework. You can find the Updated Aistear here https://curriculumonline.ie/early-childhood/aistear-2024/ 

For our first episode of 2025, and as the final stages of government formation are taking place, we chatted with Frances Byrne and Emily Clarke of Early Childhood Ireland about our policy work during the recent General Election campaign. 

In this episode we are delighted to be joined by Laura Dagger, from the National Child Safeguarding Office. She discusses the legal responsibilities of Early Years, School Age Care and registered Childminding settings in relation to Child Safeguarding. She outlines the requirements of the Safeguarding Statement and finally stresses the fact that Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. Laura also signposts us to training and resources that can be found here https://www.childsafeguardingelc.ie/training

In this episode we have a conversation with two passionate educators about children thriving outside in nature. Johanna Davis and Mary-Ellen O'Sullivan, from Seedling Nature Schools in Limerick share their experiences of children developing self-regulation and a value for the environment in their outdoor setting. 

Muireann Ranta, from the South East Technological University joins us for this episode of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast. We discuss how we can encourage children to develop a sense of wonderment about the natural world from their very earliest days and how this sense of wonder supports education for sustainability. The resource developed by OMEP Ireland, called Sustainability for the Start, that Muireann refers to, can be found here 

Early Childhood Ireland is delighted to have launched our newest member resource, called Eco-Emotions, funded by National Pyjama Day. In this episode of  Early Childhood Ireland's podcast we chat to Learning Strategy Manager, Milica Atanackovic about why we developed the Eco-Emotions suite of resources and webinar series. She also discusses initial finding from on member survey on self- regulations and awareness of sustainability issues in Early Years and School Age Care settings. 

In this episode we discuss the findings and implications of the recent research carried out by Stranmillis University College on behalf of Early Childhood Ireland. We chat with Dr Suzanne McCartney, from Stranmillis and with Liz Kerrins from Early Childhood Ireland about the study, entitled  The determinants of experiences and outcomes for children and young people in Childminding: A Rapid Review of the Research Literature.
You can read the Executive Summary here
And you can read the full report here 

In this, the first episode of our new season, we tease out the 4 Asks for Children to Elevate Early Years and School Age Care to the Status of Primary Education which are at the centre of our Budget 2025 Submission. We are delighted to be joined by Frances Byrne, Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland. We discuss the importance of a sustained and sustainable workforce, effective planning and how good family leave builds strong and connected families and communities.  You can read the full submission here. 

In the final episode of the series shining a light on children's rights, we chat with Prof. Emer Ring, Dean of Education at Mary Immaculate College. We discuss the elements we need to think about as we  seek to develop a shared understanding of what inclusion means for us as early childhood educators and how that lens has evolved and changed over time.  Emer also talks about the Reggio Emilia approach to special rights. She refers to the final evaluation of phase one of the Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years (LINC programme) 2016-2020 and you can read that report here . 

Continuing our series on Children's Rights, in this week's episode we talk to Dr Sheila Long, from South East Technological University about Global Citizen Education. We discuss what Global Citizen Education is and how we can support this in settings. 

Tuesday,  11 June 2024 has been designated as International Day of Play, recognising and celebrating that play is a fundamental right for children.  In this bonus episode of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast, we asked Prof. Nóirín Hayes, from Trinity College Dublin for her views on what play is and why it is fundamental for children. 

In this new series of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast, which focusses on Children’s Rights, we are delighted to be joined by Prof. Nóirín Hayes, Visiting Professor at the School of Education, Trinity College Dublin. In the episode we discuss what it means to have a children’s rights lens along with why and how children should be active participants in their own education.

In the fourth and final episode of the OWLET series of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast we ask our Early Childhood Specialist, DR Christina Egan Marnell some of the questions posed to us about using the OWLET resources. Have you wondered how to use the lullabies if you’re not familiar with the languages of the songs? Tune in to find out!  

In this week's episode of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast Mairéad Gallagher, music teacher and director of Wriggletto discusses how the OWLET lullabies can be used throughout every day by educators and parents in simple ways to support children sense of cultural identity and awareness. 

In Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast this week we chat to Leah Ahern de Leastar, Early Years educator and lecturer about music. We discuss how music is a universal language and how we can weave music through the day. Leah also reminds us that it is about process, not product, we can all enjoy music whether we are great singers or not.
To read more about how lullabies and music can support wellbeing and cultural heritage check out our Scéalta blog post Relationships and Music. 

In this episode we chat with Dr Christina Egan Marnell and Maria Cleary from Early Childhood Ireland about our beautiful new member resource called OWLET: Lullabies of the World . This resource supports babies and young children to practice language, develop their own positive identity, and develop an understanding of the identity of others. Many children aged 1 to 2 years hear foreign languages spoken in their Early Years settings in Ireland, which creates space for them to explore and speak their home language. Lullabies in different languages foster children’s development of positive attitudes to their own diversity and identity, as well as a curiosity about other languages.
To read more about how lullabies and music can support wellbeing and cultural heritage check out our Scéalta blog post Relationships and Music. 

In this episode of our podcast we chat with Frances Byrne, Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland. We tease out the findings of Early Childhood Ireland's Barometer 2024. Now in its seventh year, the Barometer is an annual opinion poll, conducted nationwide by Red C market research and polling company,  to gauge public attitudes to Early Years care and education.  You can find the Barometer here https://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/about/advocacy/childcare-barometer/early-childhood-ireland-barometer-2024/ and if you have any queries about the Barometer please email policy@earlychildhoodireland.ie 

In this episode of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast Dr Lynn J McNair, from the University of Edinburgh and Kathleen Tuite from Early Childhood Ireland outline what Practitioner Inquiry is and how becoming a Practitioner Inquirer supports the building of bridges between theory and practice. Kathleen also discusses the new Practitioner Inquiry programme which Early Childhood Ireland is commencing soon. 

In this final episode of our Delving into Adventurous Play series, Early Childhood Ireland member Dairíona Ní Mhuirí outlines her approach to Adventurous Play and how children in her Naíonra (Irish language preschool) use real tools and fire. She describes how every child is able to play the way they want to play in the outdoors and discusses the benefits of this for relationships as well as children's learning experiences. 

In this episode of our Delving into Adventurous Play series, Niki Buchan Educational Consultant at Natural Learning Educational Consultancy outlines the importance of adventurous play  and the role this has in physical development. She discusses some of the challenges and gives really practical suggestions on introducing real tools and fire to children.  In this episode Niki refers to resources that can be used to support educators in the Early Years and School Age Care sector, as they plan to introduce experiences like real tools. These sample benefit risk assessments will help educators identify the benefits of a proposed activity, as well as any risks involved. Control measures to mitigate these risks can then be put in place using professional judgement, to enable children to derive the maximum learning and play opportunities while ensuring that risks are identified and managed. These can be accessed at this link. 
https://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/resources-to-support-adventurous-play/

In this first episode of a new series, Delving into Adventurous Play, Chloe Keegan, from Early Childhood Ireland discusses what adventurous play is and why children need to be challenged in their play, with specific reference to supporting children to use real tools. 

Our World of Languages: Episode three

In this episode Liz Kerrins, from Early Childhood Ireland and Dr Francesca La Morgia, from Mother Tongues discuss the changing terminology around languages and why the term plurilingualism is more inclusive and respectful.  They refer to the OWL provocations pack, which you can check out at https://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/learning/owl-project/

Our World of Languages: Episode two
In episode two of this series looking at multilingualism, Suzanne McCarthy, Education Officer at Mother Tongues outlines her research on supporting heritage languages with older children.  She outlines some ideas on how we support children to develop a positive sense of Identity and Belonging through their settings valuing their home languages and the languages in their communities. 

Our World of Languages: Episode one  
In this first episode of a series where we will explore multilingualism, we talk to Dr Christina Egan Marnell, Early Childhood Specialist, at Early Childhood Ireland about her experiences working with children and families  who speak different languages to the language spoken in a setting. She provides useful strategies to support us to value the richness this diversity provides, while giving ideas on how challenges can be overcome. 

In this episode Fiona Kelleher, from Early Childhood Ireland speaks to us about the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) Conference held recently in Lisbon. She chats about what Early Childhood Ireland brought to the event,  what we gained from it and how we are sharing these learnings with our members. She outlines the various research projects the Early Childhood Ireland delegation presented on and the keynote speakers who addressed the conference. She provided details of the NCCA Updating Aistear Consultation with babies, toddlers and young children, with which Early Childhood Ireland is involved as a partner with Maynooth University and Stranmillis College. This is the research Fiona presented on at EECERA. You can read the report here https://ncca.ie/media/6220/consultationreport.pdf 

Aistear, the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework was initially launched in 2009. Much has changed in the Early Years sector since then. To reflect  these changes Aistear is being updated. To take us through the development and consultation process we were joined by Dr Sharon Skehill. Sharon is an Education Officer on the Early Childhood Team at the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. She is working on Updating Aistear. Sharon has extensive experience working as an early years' educator with babies, toddlers and young children, with a particular focus on the outdoors. She has also worked as a lecturer and researcher in early childhood education. To find out more and to participate in the consultation process go to  https://ncca.ie/en/early-childhood/early-childhood-education-developments/updating-aistear/consultation/ 
 

As part of our strategic policy work, we were delighted to host a Meet the Members event this Thursday, 5 October, where a group of Early Childhood Ireland members  met with key members of the Oireachtas to discuss our Budget 2024 Submission. There was a large turnout and we were delighted to chat with Kathleen Funchion TD, Dara Calleary TD, Jennifer Whitmore TD and David Stanton TD, along with our members Orlaith Doyle, Rachel Runswick and Louise Kilbane.

In this episode we delve into the new suite of courses, called Elevate, on Early Childhood Ireland’s Learning Hub. Most of our members are aware of this wonderful member benefit. Using the Learning Hub to support staff training can save members substantial amounts of money, as all the courses are free to members and their staff (apart from a nominal fee to cover some practical aspects of some courses). On the Hub there is a vast array of courses in the Compliance Space. These range from Health and Safety courses to Computer skills and personal development courses. Earlier this year we launched the Pedagogy Space, which currently hosts This is Me and Kids Active, and there are plans for more great content to be added there soon. We recently added  12 more courses to Early Childhood Ireland’s Learning Hub,  called Elevate. These courses on this tab are on the theme of wellbeing. We discuss why it is important to be aware of ones own wellbeing as well as that of staff. 

Every year, around this time organisations like Early Childhood Ireland make submissions to government in advance of the Budget announcement in October. As we prepare this submission, we look at what our sector needs to ensure quality for children, taking into account what provision is already in place, what our members are telling us and national and international research into Early Years and School Age Care. Once again this year, we chat with Frances Byrne, Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigning in Early Childhood Ireland, to tease out some of the detail in our Budget 2024 submission.  

In this, the final episode of the current series on outdoor play, Chloe Keegan, from Early Childhood Ireland talks about her visits to settings. These site visits were part of the research we did into outdoor play provision.  She discusses practical ways to make nature and challenge part of children's experiences. She also refers to the upcoming nature pedagogy programme, organised by Early Childhood Ireland. 

In this episode of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast, Frances Byrne, from Early Childhood Ireland discusses the events at our Valuing Outdoor Play conference in March. This episode was recorded on the day that ‘When the Roof is the Sky’, Tusla’s Guidance for the registration and inspection of Early Years services operating outdoors, was launched. Frances welcomes this guidance and outlines our initial reaction to that document. 

In this episode of our series about outdoor play, Jo Flinn outlines her approach to outdoor play and the experiences and opportunities for  play children have in the large outdoor spaces at her setting in County Limerick. She makes special mention of the benefits for autistic children and children with other additional needs. 

In episode two of this series of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast series on outdoor play, we talk to Lee Herlihy, from Horizons Montessori School, in Cork City. She discusses how her approach, and the value she places on outdoor play and learning has evolved over time.  She outlines how she now uses her outdoor space, which is a typically sized, urban garden. 

In the new series of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast we are exploring outdoor play. In this episode, Liz Kerrins, Director of Research at Early Childhood Ireland outlines the finding of our recent member survey on outdoor play spaces. 

In this episode, Maria Cleary and Milica Atanackovic from Early Childhood Ireland chat to Máire Corbett about the What Works Sharing Knowledge Fund from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. This programme has recently enabled us to expand our existing Learning Hub. We discuss the benefits of this project for the Early Years sector, our members, and children. We also discuss why micro learning works when it comes to nurturing a culturally and linguistically responsive environment in Early Years settings. And finally, we reveal some of the exciting plans for our new pedagogy space on the eLearning Platform.

In this episode of our podcast we chat with Frances Byrne, Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigning at Early Childhood Ireland. We tease out the findings of Early Childhood Ireland's Barometer 2023. Now in it's sixth year, the Barometer is an annual opinion poll, conducted nationwide by Red C market research and polling company,  to gauge public attitudes to Early Years care and education. 

To mark International Women's Day, the Irish Examiner published it's 100 women of 2023. Early Childhood Ireland CEO Teresa Heeney featured on this list. In this special episode Teresa tells us what this recognition means to her, discusses the work of Early Childhood Ireland and tells us about some of the women who have influenced her in her work and in her life. 

Bringing our current series on the Reggio Emilia approach to a close, in this episode we feature a discussion with Milica Atanackovic, Membership, Excellence and Learning Manager at Early Childhood Ireland where she answers questions submitted by listeners to the earlier episodes in the series. We cover the ‘special rights’ ethos, the transition to primary school and how the ethos is informed by current research, which has ensured it’s ongoing evolution, and more. 

In episode three of our series about the ethos and philosophy of the Reggio Emilia approach, Dr Rita Melia, from the Atlantic Technological University, discusses her PhD research into how as educators, our image of the child influences the way we interact with children and support their learning. This series of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast is proudly supported by Arachas Insurance.  

Continuing our Reggio Emilia series, in this episode Orlagh Doyle, from Carraig Briste and Killegney, in Wexford, and Anne Warren, from The Learning Tree in Dublin, chat about their recent study visit to Reggio Emilia. They discuss their experiences in the Infant and Toddler and Preschool settings in the city and how they plan to implement their learning in their own settings.  This series of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast is proudly supported by Arachas Insurance.  

The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education is renowned worldwide.  In this series, we explore an approach that has at its heart an image of strong, capable children and is rooted in community. In the first episode of the series, we look back at the origins of the approach and how it is constantly evolving. Milica Atanackovic, Membership, Excellence and Learning Manager, with Early Childhood Ireland take us through some of the key aspects of the Reggio Emilia ethos and philosophy. This series of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast is proudly supported by Arachas Insurance.  

In this final episode of the Communicating series of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast, Liz Smith,  Creative social inclusion and learning officer, at ReCreate shares her thoughts on how creativity empowers children of all ages to express themselves and how it also supports inclusion. This series of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast is proudly supported by Arachas Insurance.  

Continuing the Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast series on Communicating, in this episode, Máire Corbett has a conversation with Jackie Maguire, Early Years artist and consultant, about how music is one of the hundred languages of children, along with ways to introduce children to the joy of music.  This series of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast is proudly supported by Arachas Insurance.  

In this episode of the Communicating series, Dr Francesca La Morgia, from Mother Tongues, discusses how we create an environment that welcomes multiple home languages, and how we can support meaningful communication where language is a barrier. We also talk about supporting parents and educators to feel confident about using their home language and how this supports a sense of identity and belonging and pride in their heritage among children. This series of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast is proudly supported by Arachas Insurance.  

In this episode from our STEAM series, Sandra O’Neill, from Dublin City University discusses what STEAM means in early childhood, outlines some barriers to the introduction of these areas to children and explores some simple ways we can start to ensure children see these subjects as fun and playful. 

In this series of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast, we are looking at Communicating. We are familiar with the Reggio Emilia term The Hundred Languages of Children. So, over the coming episodes we will look at some of the ways in which children communicate and how we can support this more in settings. In the first episode of this series, we are joined by Cliodhna Noonan, Artist in Residence at the Atlantic Technological University,  who discusses how storytelling extends children’s oral language skills and encourages their creativity. This series of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast is proudly supported by Arachas Insurance.  

In the final episode of this series Dr Leah O’Toole, Assistant Professor in Early Childhood Education in the Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education, Maynooth University and Sylwia O’Rourke Early Years tutor and graduate of the BA in Early Childhood Teaching and Learning discuss the benefits of action research and identifies next steps for educators.  Early Childhood Ireland's podcast is supported by Arachas Insurance.

In episode 2 of this series, we chat with Jacinta Sheerin, Director of Membership, Excellence and Learning and Milica Atanackovic,  Membership, Excellence and Learning Manager, at Early Childhood Ireland,  about the research that informs our work and how our new strategic plan supports this.

Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast is back for a new season, with a new sponsor, Arachas Insurance. This series focuses on aspects of policy and research and in this episode, Frances Byrne, Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigning at Early Childhood Ireland takes us through Early Childhood Ireland’s Budget 2023 Submission: Time for Transformation.   

In this episode we discuss how to support the development of secure mental health for children and also the importance of relationships with families.  Our guest is Catherine Maguire, clinical psychologist and infant mental health specialist.  

In this second episode of our series on Wellbeing, we chat with Sharon Byrne from Barnardos about how trauma can impact on children’s wellbeing and how educators can support children to manage challenging events in their lives. We also look at how important it is for educators to be mindful of their own wellbeing as they support children. 

In this episode, we are joined by Christina Duff, who is a children and young people’s physical activity, health and play specialist. She is the Schools Physical Activity coordinator at the Irish Heart Foundation. We discuss how we can support the development of fundamental movement skills and give children  of all ages a positive attitude to physical movement. 

In a continuation from the first part of our chat with Prof. Marilyn Fleer, from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, we move on to discuss the role of the adult in conceptual play worlds and introduce STEAM with older children, using stories and play problems to make abstract learning more concrete and fun.

If you’ve been inspired by Professor Marilyn Fleer's lovely podcasts with us you can find out more about the conceptual play worlds she discusses on her website https://www.monash.edu/conceptual-playworld 

We asked Professor Marilyn Fleer, from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia to chat with us about how conceptual play worlds support children’s STEAM learning. Marilyn was so generous with her time and the conversation with her covers a lot of ground, so we decided to break it into two episodes. 

In part one, we are introduced to the idea of conceptual play worlds…using what children bring to a familiar story to explore and investigate the concepts in the story. Marilyn takes us through an example using Rosie’s Walk to explore the story and introducing props and technology to deepen children’s understanding and experiences of what happens in the story. 

In this episode Nicola O’Reilly discusses why and how young children’s curious and inquisitive minds need to be enabled and encourages through their play in the STEAM areas, making particular reference to the area of engineering.  Nicola is a Lecturer and Researcher in the School of Language, Literacy and Early Childhood Education in DCU.  

As the CAO deadline approaches on May 1, in this special edition of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast we talk to Dr Leah O’Toole who is Assistant Professor in Early Childhood Education in the Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education, Maynooth University about the BA in Early Childhood Teaching and Learning, of which she is  Programme Coordinator. This is a level 8 degree delivered in partnership with Early Childhood Ireland. You can find out more here: https://www.cao.ie/index_ae.php?page=aehome 

In this episode, Early Years educator and setting manager, Eilish Balfe describes how COVID-19 was the catalyst for her doing a complete 360 change of mind about having technology in her setting. She discusses how, in partnership with parents, she and her staff support children’s curiosity through the use of technology 

Early Childhood Ireland recently released the 2022  Barometer. This is the 5th Barometer published by Early Childhood Ireland. In this special edition episode of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast, Frances Byrne, Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigning discusses key findings from this years research, identifies keys trend over the past 5 years and as today is International Women's Day she outlines the implications for the mainly female workforce.

In this final episode of the series focusing on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion we talk to Shirley Heaney, National Coordinator of the Leadership for Inclusion (Linc) programme about what motivated her interest in this area, and discuss lots of practical examples of how educators can recognise their own good inclusion practice and ways they can develop it further. 

In Episode 3 Maxine Ryan, winner of the 2020 Leader for Inclusion award talks about her experience of being an INCO in her setting, how she supports families and why she feels that peer support is vital to constantly develop our inclusion practice.  

Episode 2

In episode 2 Relationships matter for inclusion, Nickola Cullen, winner of the 2021 Leader for Inclusion award takes us through her approach to leadership for inclusion and outlines how relationships are fundamental to ensure inclusive practice.

In this first series of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast for 2022, we look at the importance of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in our practice. Well-being and Identity and Belonging are vital to ensure children feel happy, safe and included and thus are able to play, develop and learn to their full potential. This series looks at why and how we can ensure this is embedded in our work.

Episode One. In this episode, Dr. Colette Murray talks about how she got involved in this work and why it is time we move from being nice to challenging ourselves and others more on our attitudes and biases. 

As we come to the end of the first full year of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast, Milica Atanackovic, Research and Professional Learning Manager at Early Childhood Ireland takes over the mic from our usual presenter Máire Corbett to explore Máire’s thoughts on the episodes of the past year. She reflects on the way she hopes the podcast helps bring a practical application to current research and how values inform all aspects of how educators work.

As we approach the end of a year that can only be described as bizarre and with much uncertainty still regarding COVID-19, we look at how the creative, committed contribution by all staff in so many settings to ensure the health and welfare of children and families can be recognised and acknowledged. 

In this final episode of this series Joanie Barron, from Wallaroo Playschool takes us through the approach her setting has to ensure individual children’s voices are given space, are heard and acted upon in a democratic, humanistic environment.  

Continuing our series on Children’s Participation, Sharon Skehill, from Newtown Kids' Club: Willows and Nursery outdoor settings, Abbeyknockmoy, Co. Galway discusses how she ensures that children of all ages are consulted and those opinions acted on in her day to day practice.

Following on from the last episode of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast looking at enable children’s participation in decision-making, this time we talk to Cathy Steenson and Breifní Cusack about how children in Carr’s Child and Family Services are enabled to participate in decision-making about food and nutrition. 

Welcome back to a new season of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast. In the first episode of this new season, we have a bumper edition, as we are honoured to welcome Professor Laura Lundy and Anne O’Donnell who developed the National Framework for Children and Young People’s Participation in Decision Making. It’s a fascinating discussion about why and how we involve children in decision making in settings. You can check out the Podcast here. And do also read the Framework and look at the great checklists that you can use as you develop your practice in this key area.  

In the third and final episode of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast series relating to Transitions, Milica Atanackovic and Fiona Kelleher discuss the recently completed TRAP project, outline the development of the programme and the materials resulting from this EU project with Croatia, Iceland and Sweden.

In episode 2 of this series about Transitions, Kathleen Cash and Lorraine Cash from Tir na nÓg, in Co. Kildare, winners of the 2020 Early Childhood Ireland National Award for Transitions for Children, take us though their approach to transitions in practice.

At this time of year, our thoughts turn to move on, as children leave our ECCE settings and they start to get excited about Big School in September. For everyone, there is a sense of excitement and loneliness as the children and families leave a familiar secure place and look forward to a new setting. In Early Learning and Care settings, there is a sense of anticipation as we get ready to support new children into our settings. In this series, we look at how these transitions and changes can be navigated to ensure children and their families feel comfortable and excited about this new stage of their lives. In episode 1 Dr. Derek Grant from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment talks about how the use of the Mo Scéal materials can help with the roles, relationships and change the transition to Big School entails.

In Early Childhood Ireland's podcast this week Rebecca Kelly, winner of the 2020 Partnership with Families Innovation Award talks about her passion for partnership with families, ensuring this is as strong as ever despite COVID-19 restrictions, and what being the winner of this award has meant for her and her setting 

Dr Judith Butler is the guest this week on Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast. In this episode she discusses the importance of relationships, play, supporting children’s learning and her experience of judging the Early Childhood Ireland Awards.  

Learning Stories capture and make visible children's knowledge, skills and dispositions. In this series of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast, we talk to educators who use Learning Stories to show children, their parents and other stakeholders what and how they are learning in a vivid, tangible way.

In episode 1, Audrey Fagan from the CRC preschool talks about her light bulb moment and takes us through the beautiful story called More than Words, with which her setting won the 2020 Learning Story of the Year from a Newcomer Award.

In our 2 March episodes we marked the anniversary of COVID-19 arriving in Ireland, by looking at the impacts the pandemic has had on children, their families and the Early Learning and School Age Care settings they attend. To hear the story of one Early Childhood Ireland member we were delighted to be joined by Orlagh Doyle owner of Carraig Briste and Killegny Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare settings in Wexford.

In this episode of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast, Early Childhood Specialist Debbie Mullen discusses the importance of parents being as involved and engaged in their child’s setting as they can be.

In this series of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast, we take a look at COVID-19 a year on, with 2 episodes looking at the impacts of the pandemic, on children, their families and the early childhood education sector. In this first episode Fiona Ferris, Deputy CEO and Head of Training with AsIAm, reflects on some positives and also some of the detrimental aspects of lockdown and restrictions on Autistic children and their families. She talks about the importance of relationships in education and concludes that relationships are desirable for adults, but essential for children. 

Aistear encourages early childhood educators to see children as creative and to support children to be creative in their exploring, thinking and communication. In this episode of Early Childhood Ireland's podcast, Milica Atanackovic, Research and Professional Learning Manager shares her ideas around what creativity is and why it is about so much more than art. 

In this episode of Early Childhood Ireland’s Podcast, Gillian Moore, Early Years Employer Service Manager discusses how important it is to support educators to manage stress in an appropriate and positive way.

Early Learning and Care settings were the first part of the education sector to reopen as restrictions started to ease post lockdown; many opened in June and by September all had reopened. Educators have led the way and learned a lot in the process. In this episode of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast Valerie Gaynor, Manager and Inclusion Coordinator at Creative Kids and Co, in Walkinstown shares her experiences of her Podogogy and gives practical ideas that have helped them to keep the experiences for children familiar, fun and safe!

Frances is the Director of Policy and Advocacy in Early Childhood Ireland and has a huge passion for keeping the needs and interests of our members to the fore in relation to government policy and advocating for improvement in that regard. In this episode, Frances is discussing her thoughts on Budget 2021.

Catherine McHugh discusses concepts of self-regulation with Máire Corbett. Catherine uses the concepts of mindfulness and self-regulation in her daily life and in her work with children and with adults who care for children.

In episode one Outdoors - A Deeper Appreciation, Carol Duffy, Early Childhood Specialist shares her thoughts on the value and importance of outdoor play for children. Carol is passionate about play and the outdoors and in raising awareness of the benefits of both for all children.

So, sit back and relax, or pop in the earphones as you head for a walk and have a listen.

Guest Sarah O’Leary, Co-owner of Cheeky Cherubs Early Years Schools, in Cork and Winner of the Early Childhood Ireland Pedagogical Leader award 2020. Sarah is deeply committed to creating the best experiences in beautiful environments for children. 

Colette is the Licensed Marte Meo Supervisor in Ireland since 1995 and a specialist in the training and application of the Marte Meo supportive interaction method.

Colette is passionate about supporting people to recognise and build on their supportive interaction skills that gift children and adults in everyday moments of Interaction which supports their development and wellbeing.

In episode 2 of the Caring and Learning with children under 2 series, Early Childhood Specialist  Lilian Joyce, examines Getting the Environment Right. She explores ways we can ensure that the environment in which babies and toddlers are facilitated their physical and emotional development both indoors and outdoors. 

Lilian is an Early Childhood Specialist with Early Childhood Ireland, Siolta Mentor and Marte Meo colleague trainer. 

Lilian advocates for quality provision for under 3’s and has a particular interest in environments both emotional and physical. 

For the new season of Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast we plan to have themed series, with a range of guests discussing aspects of a particular topic.  To get this new format started, we decided to shine a light on the subject of children under 2. In the next 4 episodes we will reflect on how we can care best for very young children, a subject we know early childhood educators are passionate about and of course it is of vital importance to get right. So, for the first episode we are joined by Dr Geraldine French from DCU to discuss slow relational pedagogy.