Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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638. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in view of the roll-out of education inspections in early years settings from September 2015, the supports she has put in place for a comprehensive roll-out of Aistear the early childhood curriculum framework. [29914/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department, in conjunction with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, launched a new Aistear / Síolta Practice Guide.

This Practice Guide distils the key principles of Aistear, the national early childhood curriculum framework, and Síolta, the national quality framework for early years services. It is intended to be a practical guide for early years practitioners on how to implement the two frameworks. It includes a number of podcasts and examples of children's learning and development that will illustrate how the key principles of Aistear and Siolta can be applied in any early years setting.

Phase 1 of the Practice Guide was made available on-line via the NCCA website, www.ncca.ie/en/Practice-Guide in March 2015. The second – and final phase – of the Practice Guide will be made available during the Autumn.

The Practice Guide will be a resource for all early years practitioners who wish to improve the quality of their practice across the early years sector. It will also serve to assist the new Better Start team, that have been established by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, in their work in strengthening quality in early years services.

Unlike the school sector, there is no funding stream for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for early years practitioners. My Department is participating in an inter-Departmental group on Future Investment in Childcare. The funding of CPD for the early years sector will be one of the options proposed.