Publication of School Age Childcare Quality Standards from National Working Group

The Draft National Quality Standards developed by the National Working Group on School Age Childcare have now been published (on May 21, 2019) by Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone

https://www.dcya.gov.ie/documents/childcare/20190520FinalDraftSACStandards.pdf

Dr. Paul Downes, Associate Professor of Education (Psychology), Director of the Educational Disadvantage Centre in DCU's Institute of Education is a member of this National Working Group involving the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Education and Skills that was responsible for the development of these national quality standards.

These quality standards are published as the first recommendation of the National School Age Childcare Action Plan 2017 and as part of a national consultation process to establish comprehensive regulations for the School Age Childcare sector later this year. In 2016, Dr. Downes gave an invited presentation to the Interdepartmental School Age Childcare group for the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Education and Skills to inform many of the key principles of the National School Age Childcare Action Plan 2017.

National Quality Standards for School Age Childcare is a key strategic commitment long advocated for by the national network Quality Development of Out of School Services (QDOSS). The Educational Disadvantage Centre is a founding member of QDOSS, established in 2006. Dr. Downes was the author of the QDOSS national network’s founding document, Quality Development of Out of School Services: An Agenda for Development (2006). The independent chairperson of QDOSS is John Carr, former general secretary of the INTO.

€3.45m in capital funding has been invested since 2017 to create an additional 6,131 school-age childcare places. The National School Age Childcare Action Plan 2017 envisages schools as one site of School Age Childcare eligible for infrastructure funding. It is expected that the families of more than 21,000 school going children will benefit from subsidies through the National Childcare Scheme when it starts later this year.

As part of the DCYA consultation process, a survey on these issues is available on its website: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Z5TWJR6