Strengthening Early Childhood Education and Care in Ireland

Abbreviations and acronyms

AIM	Access and Inclusion Model
Aistear	Curriculum framework
Better Start QDS	Better Start Quality Development Service
CBR	Country Background Report
CCC	City and County Childcare Committee
CCSP	Community Childcare Subvention Plus programme
COVID-19	Coronavirus disease
DCYA	Department of Children and Youth Affairs
DCEDIY	Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
DE	Department of Education
DE Inspectorate	Department of Education Inspectorate
EC	European Commission
ECEC	Early Childhood Education and Care
ECCE	Early Childhood Care and Education (A universal state-funded programme providing two years of free pre-school for children, not to be confused with ECEC)
ELC	Early Learning and Care (national term used to refer to early childhood education and care in Ireland)
EU	European Union
FET	Further Education and Training
First 5	Ireland’s Whole-of-government ten-year strategy for babies, young children and their families
GDP	Gross Domestic Product
IBEC	Irish Business and Employers Confederation
ICT	Information and Communications Technology
INCO	Inclusion Co-ordinator
ISCED	International Standard Classification of Education
JLC	Joint Labour Committee
LINC	Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years
NCCA	National Council for Curriculum and Assessment
NCS	National Childcare Scheme
NFQ	National Framework of Qualifications
NSAI	National Síolta Aistear Initiative
NVCO	National Voluntary Childcare Organisation
OSAG	Operations and Systems Alignment Group
PACG	Professional Awards Criteria and Guidelines
PATD	Professional Awards Type Descriptors
Pobal	An organisation working on behalf of the Irish government to support communities and local agencies toward achieving social inclusion and development
PPP	Purchasing Power Parity
QAB	Qualifications Advisory Board
QAP	Quality Assurance Programme
QFEYEI	Quality Framework for Early Years Education Inspection
QRF	Tusla Quality and Regulatory Framework
QQI	Quality and Qualifications Ireland
RPL	Recognition of Prior Learning
SAC	School Age Childcare
Síolta	National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education
SIPTU	Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union
SOLAS	Further Education and Training Authority
STEM	Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
TALIS	Teaching and Learning International Survey
Tusla	Child and Family Agency (provides services to support child and family protection and welfare)
Tusla EYI	Tusla Early Years Inspectorate
Tusla QRF	Tusla Quality and Regulatory Framework