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Early Years Sector

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 March 2021

Thursday, 11 March 2021

Questions (149)

Darren O'Rourke

Question:

149. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is no official recognition for naíonraí services that operate through the medium of Irish which means that there is no proper inspection or quality assurance system to ensure that Irish is the language of the naíonra; the way he plans address the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13617/21]

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Written answers

Early learning and Childcare (ELC) services are private businesses, and determine themselves the medium through which they provide their service. My Department provides funding to ELC providers through various funding programmes to subsidise the cost of ELC, and this is available to both Irish and English medium services. There are currently 267 services that identify as naíonraí with Pobal.

Although it is not within the remit of my Department to inspect the quality of the language spoken in an ELC service, the Better Start Quality Development Services, which is a national initiative established by my Department to bring an integrated national approach to developing quality in ELC, have three staff currently working with the Department of Education on the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Pilot Project (Irish) Working Group. This is a three-year pilot project based on a CLIL approach to the teaching and learning of Irish in a number of ELC settings and primary and post-primary schools.

Furthermore, the Department of Education are currently developing a webinar on supporting immersion language education in naíonraí drawing on the findings of their published education inspection reports in Irish medium ELC settings in both Gaeltacht and non-Gaeltacht areas.

My Department remains committed to supporting ELC and SAC services operating through the medium of Irish.

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