The Early Childhood Care and Education strategy involves the delivery of a suite of Early Years (EY) quality improvement measures to all EY centres (both crèche and preschool rooms) in the Let’s Grow Together! catchment area. The strategy is guided by an Early Years Co-ordinators Group and is aligned to the National Early Years curriculum and quality frameworks of Aistear and Soilta. 

The Early Years Centres that take part in the strategy are: 

• Hollyhill/Knocknaheeny Family Centre
• Páistí @ No. 3
• Padre Pio Early Start, 
• St. Mary’s on the Hill Primary School Early Start
• Little Hands
• Traveller Visibility Group Goras Community Childcare Centre
• Early Start Scoil Aiseri Chriost
• Childhood Matters
• Playland Creche

The suite of EY quality improvement measures are informed by continuous use of ECRS and ITRS and include the following activities and programmes:

Hanen Learning Language and Loving It

Learning Language and Loving It™ is an evidence-based and research-validated programme which views a child’s development of language, social skills, and emergent literacy within the context of the early caregiver-child relationship and interactions. Learning Language and Loving It™ provides EY educations with practical, research-based strategies and involves group training session and individual video-taping and feedback sessions for each participant.

Mentoring

Let’s Grow Together recognises the value in lifelong learning and personal development through reflection and shared learning experiences with others. The mentoring programme was developed to provide assistance to EY centres participating in the suite of EY quality improvement measurements. 

Infant Mental Health training

The training is to support Early Years Professionals grow their awareness, skills and reflection of Infant Mental Health and incorporate this into everyday practice so they can build trusting and supportive relationships with the children that they work with.