SCIREARLY Early Childhood Education Policy Seminar held in DCU

EQI organised a seminar for policy makers, practitioners and advocates as part of the SCIREARLY project. Led by Grainne McKenna of the School of Language, Literature and Early Childhood Education and EQI researcher Sarah Gardezi the seminar presented information on a Europe wide investigation of Early Childhood Education. 

A total of 40 people registered for the seminar and workshop, with 31 attending on the day.

Participants were from various government, statutory, and voluntary agencies. They included senior policymakers, researchers and advocates with knowledge and experience in influencing, developing and implementing policy in early childhood education and care, education, youth wellbeing, family services and school completion.

The SCIREARLY event had four key aims;

1. To provide an awareness of the aims and outcomes of the SCIREARLY project

2. To inform participants of the international research trends, insights and evidence on early

school leaving

3. To share key findings from the SCIREARLY Project, focusing on the systematic literature

review findings and the results of the Self-Assessment Quality Instrument for ECEC Centres

(SAQE).

4. To generate discussion and seek policymaker perspectives on the important influence of

high-quality early childhood care and education on children’s right to participate and thrive in

education.

The participants engaged in lively debate about the findings of the research and offered their contextually embedded reflections on the future of ECEC in Ireland and Europe.

More information on the SCIREARLY project can be found at https://scirearly.eu/