Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Under the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016, all staff working directly with children in a pre-school service must hold at least a Level 5 major award in early childhood care and education on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), or a qualification that the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has deemed to be equivalent.

My Department has published a list of qualifications that meet both regulatory and funding requirements for working in early learning and care services. The list can be found at this link:

www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=assets.gov.ie/91125/df4fce5e-e6d0-4524-bfc3-10139c009c09.pdf#page=null .

If an individual's qualification does not appear on the list, they may apply to my Department to have it assessed for equivalence. Details on how to apply are available at: www.gov.ie/en/service/000073-recognition-of-an-early-years-qualification/ .

To be approved to practise in the sector, an individual's studies must be of a standard at least at level 5 on the NFQ (or equivalent) and must include the following content:

- Child development for children aged 0-6.

- Early childhood education - theory and practice.

- Child health and welfare for children aged 0-6.

- Evidence that the qualification contains a supervised practicum/practice placement working in an early learning and care setting.

With regards to the individual mentioned in the Deputy's question, as a result of data protection requirements I cannot share information with a third party in relation to an individual’s application. I would, however, encourage any individual seeking qualification recognition to engage directly with the relevant officials in my Department in providing all relevant documentation required to support their application.