FULL REFERENCE: Horgan, D., Martin, S., Cunneen, M., & Towler M. (2014). Early childhood care and education policy: Ireland country note. New Zealand Research in Early Childhood Education Journal. Special Issue: Early Childhood Policy, 17, 21 – 34.
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ABSTRACT: Historically early childhood care and education infrastructure and policy in Ireland has been underdeveloped compared to other OCED countries (OECD, 2004). According to the OECD (2012), access to childcare, staff training, high-quality provision and public expenditure are vitally important if all children are to benefit positively from ECCE provision. This Country Note addresses these issues briefly and discusses some key transitions in ECCE policy in Ireland.
Key words: Ireland; policy, state expenditure; early childhood care and education.
Introduction
In Ireland, Government investment in early childhood care and education (ECCE) has traditionally been very low. Even as recently as 2009, Ireland spent only 0.4% of GDP on ECCE which is well below the OECD average. This is despite the fact that, in 2010, Ireland had the highest number of births ever recorded and that the preschool population has increased, according to the 2011 Census, by nearly 18% since 2006 (Fitzgerald, 2013). When international comparisons are made of Ireland’s performance in relation to the availability, affordability and quality of ECCE, the results are not always favourable. In the Starting Well Index (2012) which investigated ECCE in 45 countries worldwide, Ireland ranked 18th overall1.
Ideologically early childhood care and education was considered in Ireland to be a private family issue which did not necessitate state intervention (NESF, 2005; Coolahan, 1998). Linked to this ideology was the limited availability and scope of paid parental leave entitlements focusing mainly on mothers and maternity leave (Hayes, 2010)2. Fallon points out that, outside of the state primary school system, there had been “virtually no direct State involvement in establishing ECCE services in Ireland” (Fallon, 2005, p. 291)3. Instead the State provided a fragmented system of funding to programmes, maintaining a clear distinction between childcare and early education ‘with childcare part of the equality and work agenda and early education part of the strategy for combating educational disadvantage’ (Hayes, 2010, p. 67).
The gap in state provision meant that the voluntary and private sector have made a major contribution to early childhood education and care in Ireland (Douglas, 1994; ECI, 2013). However significant changes have occurred in the policy and practice landscape in recent years which are transforming the ECCE sector and this Country Note will discuss some of these and look at possible implications.
