Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 10, 14 and 19 together.

I thank the Deputies for the range of questions on early years services. I have already outlined to the House the eight action areas through which we are addressing the Deputies' concerns. It is important to introduce qualification requirements for all staff working in preschool services. For this reason, I have indicated my intention to increase the minimum requirement for preschool leaders delivering the preschool year from level 5 to level 6. It is also my intention to require all preschool assistants and all other staff caring for children in preschool services to hold a minimum qualification at level 5. These new requirements will apply from September 2014 for new services and from September 2015 for existing services.

As the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, driving the early childhood care and education quality agenda is one of my Department's key objectives. I am working closely with the Department of Education and Skills in this regard. I wish to clarify that Síolta and Aistear are not strategies, but practice frameworks developed to support quality early childhood care and education. They have been in place for a number of years and are based on extensive research. We must ensure that the various services have the supports necessary to implement them. I am in discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, regarding a number of initiatives in the budget that would support the development of Síolta and Aistear in the services throughout the country.

The implementation of these frameworks to date has included the publication and dissemination of manuals and guidelines as well as an online toolkit. In addition, the Department of Education and Skills has developed a Síolta quality assurance programme, which has been field-tested in 135 early childhood care and education settings. An evaluation of this mentoring-based programme is being completed. This will provide the model for the roll-out of the frameworks. It is important that this sector be supported in delivering them and in developing the quality services that providers want to ensure children receive.

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