The Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE) is developing a new National Quality Framework (NQF) of 16 separate standards, which will apply to full daycare settings, childminders, infant classes in primary schools and sessional services.
The standards have been developed by a consultative committee of 50 stakeholders, including the National Children's Nurseries Association and the Irish Pre-school Play Association. Standards cover the rights of the child, parents, planning and evaluation, health and welfare, and professional practice.
CECDE assistant director Maresa Duignan said, 'We have a very diverse early years sector in Ireland and statutory regulation was only brought in in 1997. The NQF will be the first nationally agreed standards to bring all settings together.
'Initially the NQF will run as a three-year pilot to allow us to make any necessary changes. But the materials will be in the public domain so practitioners can use them to develop their policies and practices.'
For details see www.cecde.ie.
It will be published by the Department of Education and Science in the next few months.
