Vol. 577 No. 3
101 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Education and Science if and when he will extend the number of formal early start programmes to include all children in educationally disadvantaged areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30938/03]
The early start pre-school pilot project was established in 1994 and is in place in 40 schools in designated areas of urban disadvantage in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Drogheda and Dundalk. The White Paper on early childhood education, Ready to Learn, published in December 1999, set out a comprehensive strategy for the development of early childhood education for all children aged up to six years.
The enhancement of early childhood services, in accordance with the White Paper's recommendations, is being undertaken on a collaborative, phased basis and will draw together and build upon the many examples of best practice in early childhood education that have emerged over recent years. In order to help combat disadvantage and promote equality, special emphasis will be placed on the provision of appropriate pre-school education in areas of social deprivation and for those with special needs.
The Department established the centre for early childhood development and education, CECDE, in October 2002, to develop within a three-year life span, a quality framework for early childhood education and to develop, through action research with existing programmes, targeted interventions for children who have special needs or who are disadvantaged. As recommended in the White Paper, the Department will, having reviewed the work of the centre in 2004, establish the early childhood education agency to replace the CECDE.
The CECDE has begun work on the development of a conceptual framework of early childhood learning and development and this will be finished in early 2004. Furthermore, the centre recently completed an audit of research into the area of early childhood. The research, which will be made available in an online searchable database, will be of great benefit as a resource to policymakers, professionals and researchers working in the early childhood area.
An audit of provision for disadvantaged children and children with special needs has also been completed and will be launched early in the new year. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is currently preparing for publication and consultation, a discussion paper Towards a Framework for Early Childhood Learning, which aims to support learning in the first six years of life, in all settings, including home, crèche, pre-school and so on.
Ireland participated in a recent OECD review with the aim of assessing quality, access and co-ordination in early childhood provision here. The review, which will be published shortly, will inform policy and programme development in the sector and will assist the work of the CECDE.
