Childcare is now part of Irish society and there has been growing interest in quality childcare at local, national, European and international level.

The quality of staff entering the childcare profession is critical to the establishment of standards that we can be comfortable with. The Childcare Act (1991) laid the
foundations for childcare as it has developed in Ireland. The Act made the Health Services Executive responsible for monitoring the standards of care in nurseries, crèches and pre-school groups. In 1997 Regulations published under the Act provided that two ‘competent adults’ must be present in a room with no more than 20 children.

“An Ireland where children are respected as young citizens with a valued contribution to make and a voice of their own, where all children are cherished and supported by family and the wider society; where they enjoy a fulfilling childhood and realise their potential”

(National Children’s Strategy, 2000)

Professional childcare practitioners should have an understanding of child development and learning principles along with the ability to create safe and caring learning environments. A well trained practitioner will have a good understanding of curricular principles and practices and recognise the importance of informal learning through play. In addition to these skills the childcare practitioner should have skills in administration and record keeping along with the ability to work with and actively involve parents and guardians in practice.

These hallmarks of quality identified by the Forum on Early Childhood Education 2 are mirrored in our training programmes through quality work experience, quality training and expert teaching in child development and professional practice. In 2007 we introduced HIGHSCOPE training available to students studying for the [FETAC Level 5 Childcare Award].

Childcare

“A competent adult is a person who has appropriate experience in caring for children under six years of age and/or has an appropriate qualification in childcare and is a suitable person to care for children.”

Professional childcare practitioners should have an understanding of child development and learning principles along with the ability to create safe and caring learning environments.

HighScope is a child centred approach to early childhood education developed in America by David Weikart, to reduce early school drop-out rates and improve standards in education. It is based on over 40 years of research, carried out by the Perry Pre-school Project in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in the belief that a good preschool education enables children to succeed in school and therefore in life.

The HighScope curriculum is based on Active Learning, which is central to the programme, whether planned by adults or initiated by children. The teacher gives the child a sense of control over the events of the day by planning a consistent daily routine that enables children to anticipate what happens next. A central element of the pre-school daily routine is the “plan-do-review sequence”, other key elements are small and large-group times, greeting time and outside time.

Liberties College first started training childcare students in 1985 and is currently the largest trainer of childcare practitioners in the Further Education/Post-Leaving Certificate sector. The college has 300 full-time students and 120 part-time students in the Department of Childhood Studies following courses in General Childcare, Infant Care, Early Childhood Education and Supervision. Continuous innovation and attention to the changing needs of employers, parents and children has kept Liberties College to the forefront as a trainer of childcare practitioners.

“The HighScope curriculum is based on Active Learning, which is central to the programme, whether planned by adults or initiated by children.”

HighScope is a curriculum approach for childhood education developed in the 1960s in North America

HighScope is an international research foundation promoting pre-school learning.

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