Strengthening Early Childhood Education and Care in Ireland

Annex A. Programme of missions conducted by the review team

Table A A.1. Fact finding mission, December 2020

Time (Paris)	Institution
10:30-11:00	Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA)*
11:00-12:15	Frontier Economics
12:15-13:15	Tusla
13:15-14:30
14:30-15:45	Department of Education and Skills (DES)
15:45-16:45	National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA)
Time (Paris)	Institution
10:30-11:30	DES Inspectorate
11:30-12:45	Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA)
12:45-13:45	Better Start / Pobal
13:45-14:30
14:30-15:45	Early Childhood Research Centre (ECRC), Dublin City University (DCU)
15:45-17:00	Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), Higher Education Authority (HEA), SOLAS
Time (Paris)	Institution
10:30-11:45	Childhood Services Ireland (CSI) of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), Seas Suas, Federation of Early Childhood Providers
11:45-13:00	Early Childhood Ireland (ECI), Barnardos, Comhar Naíonraí na Gaeltachta
13:00-14:00
14:00-15:15	National Childhood Network, National Forum for Community Childcare Services, Meath County Childcare Committee, BLÁTHÚ
15:15-16:15	Childminding Ireland
Time (Paris)	Institution
10:30-11:30	Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA)

* In 2021, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) became the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), and the Department of Education and Skills (DES) became the Department of Education (DE).

Table A A.2. Main mission (first round), July 2021

Time (Paris)	Institution
10:30-11:00	Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY)
11:00-12:10	Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY)
12:00-13:30	Department of Education and Skills (DES)
13:30-14:15
14:15-15:45	DES Inspectorate
15:45-16:45	Children's Rights Alliance; National Parents Council
Time (Paris)	Institution
10:30-11:45	Association of Childhood Professionals (ACP), Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU), Independent consultant
11:45-13:15	Tusla Early Years Inspectorate (EYI)
13:15-14:00
14:00-15:30	ECEC setting I (centre-based) Virtual tour: 10 minutes Manager: 30 minutes; Room leader: 15 minutes Staff: 15 minutes
15:30-16:30	Pobal (incl Compliance, Audit and Risk).
16:30-16:45	Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY)
Time (Paris)	Institution
10:30-12:00	ECEC setting II (centre-based) Virtual tour: 10 minutes Manager: 30 minutes; Room leader: 15 minutes Staff: 15 minutes
12:00-13:15	Representatives of different City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs)
13:15-14:00
14:00-15:15	Early Childhood Ireland (ECI), St Nicholas Montessori College, Naíonraí (Irish Language Groups)
15:15-16:00	ECEC setting III (home-based)
16:15-17:15	INFORM
Time (Paris)	Institution
10:30-11:30	PLÉ, Qualifications Advisory Board (QAB)
11:30-12:30	Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB)
12:30-13:30	Better Start
13:30-14:15
14:15-15:45	Mary Immaculate College; School of Language, Literacy and Early Childhood Education, Dublin City University; Trinity College Dublin
16:00-16:30	Hibernia College
17:00-18:00	Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY)
18:00-18:15	Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY)

Table A A.3. Main mission (second round), September 2021

Time (Paris)	Institution
10:30-11:00	Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) and Department of Education and Skills (DES)
11:00-12:15	National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA)
12:15-13:30	Group of providers (co-ordinated by Childhood Services Ireland [CSI] of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation [IBEC])
13:30-14:30
14:30-15:45	Childminding Ireland, Childminding Development Officers from the City/County Childcare Committees
20:00-21:00	Group of individual practitioners (co-ordinated by Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union [SIPTU])
Time (Paris)	Institution
10:30-12:00	ECEC setting IV (centre-based) Virtual tour: 10 minutes Manager: 30 minutes; Room leader: 15 minutes Staff: 15 minutes
12:00-12:45	Parents
13:15-14:45	ECEC setting V (centre-based) Virtual tour: 10 minutes Manager: 30 minutes; Room leader: 15 minutes Staff: 15 minutes
14:45-15:45
15:45-16:45	Students in further and higher education colleges
16:45-17:45	Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), Department of Education and Skills (DES), DES Inspectorate, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), Better Start