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Child Care Qualifications

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2015

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Questions (162)

Seán Kyne

Question:

162. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the level of engagement between his Department and the Department of Education and Skills, in establishing greater professional recognition, through qualifications, for child care staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7745/15]

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Written answers

My Department works very closely with the Department of Education and Skills on quality improvement within the early years sector. This includes the qualifications profile of the sector.

There is an increasing recognition of the importance of skilled and appropriate qualified staff in this sector. Indeed, in recent years, with the introduction of the free pre-school year in 2010, early years practitioners have had to become increasingly qualified. Prior to 2010, there was no education qualification requirement for staff working with children in the early years sector. This changed with the introduction of the free pre-school year under the Early Childhood Care and Education programme, whereby pre-school leaders are required to have a minimum of a Major Award at Level 5 on the National Framework of Qualifications (or equivalent) to qualify for the standard capitation rate and a Level 7 Major Award (or equivalent) to qualify for the higher capitation rate.

The introduction of the Learner Fund in 2014 has also served to improve qualification levels within the sector and there is considerable evidence that the early years sector is becoming increasingly upskilled. Data from Pobal's Annual Survey (2013) shows that 99.4% of early years settings that responded have at least one staff member qualified to National Framework Qualification Level 5 or higher. 86.3% had at least one staff member qualified to Level 6 or higher and 39.5% had at least one staff member qualified to Level 7 or higher.

While the qualifications profile of the sector is on an upward trajectory, we need to be sure that their education and training is equipping them to become competent professionals. My colleagues in the Department of Education and Skills are taking the lead in carrying out a review of ECCE education and training programmes which will examine the extent to which such programmes are being delivered as efficiently as possible; are subject to appropriate quality assurance procedures at institutional level; meet the demands of the learning community, including the extent to which they incorporate flexible learning, modular delivery, progression routes, and opportunities for recognition of prior learning (RPL); equip graduates with the skills, knowledge and dispositions to work in the area of early years education, which is one element of the overall education continuum ; prepare graduates for social diversity; and are delivered by appropriately qualified experts in the field of early years education.

While the profession is not regulated, the developments in the last few years have seen Government recognition of the importance of skilled and appropriately qualified staff as central to the achievement of quality standards. The introduction of the higher capitation rate for early years practitioners educated to degree level is proof of this.

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