Siolta – The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education

This framework is intended to provide guidance and support for all those concerned with the well-being, learning and development of young children.

Siolta is a quality assurance programme concerned with improving the quality of early childhood experiences for all children aged birth to six years.
It is relevant for a wide range of settings including creches and nurseries, pre-schools and playgroups, childminders and the infant classes in primary schools.

The framework is based on 12 Principles of Quality which reflect the values underpinning Siolta and the vision of quality provision it offers.

Siolta also contains 16 National Standards which cover the areas of practice to be addressed and translate the vision of quality contained in the principles into the reality of practice.

The framework covers all aspects of early years service provision, from general management & organisation of the setting through to the individual learning experinces of each child. It is an invaluable tool to all childcare practitioners and offers a reflective framework through which quality early years education and care can be achieved.

For more detailed information on the Siolta framework click here

Aistear – The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework

Early childhood is a time of great opportunity for learning and development. In these early years children learn through loving, trusting and respectful relationships, and through discussion, exploration and play. They learn about languages and how and when to use them; they learn to think and to interact with others and the environment. They learn to be creative and adventurous, to develop working theories about their world, and to make decisions about themselves as learners.

Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework celebrates early childhood as a time of being, and of enjoying and learning from experiences as they unfold. This early learning also lays important foundations for later learning. Because early childhood marks the beginning of children’s lifelong learning journeys, this framework is called Aistear, the Irish word for journey.

Aistear is the curriculum framework for children from birth to six years in Ireland.

While Siolta covers all aspects of quality within an early years setting, the Aistear framework focuses specifically on children’s learning through their interactions with their environment, the adults caring for them and other children within the setting.
It provides information for adults to help them plan for and provide enjoyable and challenging learning experiences, so that all children can grow and develop as competent and confident learners within loving relationships with others.

Aistear describes the types of learning (dispositions, values and attitudes, skills, knowledge, and understanding) that are important for children in their early years, and offers ideas and suggestions as to how this learning might be nurtured. The Framework also provides guidelines on supporting children’s learning through partnerships with parents, interactions, play, and assessment.

For more detailed information on the Aistear Framework click here