First 5 is a whole-of-Government strategy to improve the lives of babies, young children and their families. It is a ten-year plan to help make sure all children have positive early experiences and get a great start in life.
To view First 5 Continuous Professional Development, click on the link below:
There are two national frameworks for early year childcare services in Ireland. Siolta, The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education compiled by CECDE – Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (2006).
Followed by Aistear the Early Years Curriculum Framework for children from birth to six years in Ireland developed by NCCA in 2009 and updated in 2024.
Since December 2008, the Early Years Education Policy Unit, in the Department of Education and Skills, has been responsible for the implementation of Síolta. Early Childhood Care and Education services participating in the Free Pre-School Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme are required to “adhere to the principles of Síolta”.
These core elements of Síolta are set out in detail in each of the Síolta user manuals. For more information click here
The National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NCCA) developed Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework (2009) in partnership with the early childhood sector. Parents played a key role in this. Effective early childhood settings and schools take account of the influence of the home on children’s learning and they build on the experience children bring to the setting or school. Establishing strong links with parents helps make children’s education as successful as possible.
Highlighting the fact that children learn many different things at the same time, the Framework uses four interconnected themes to describe the content of children’s learning and development:-
Aistear through the four themes, Well-being, Identity and Belonging, Exploring and Thinking and Communicating, seeks to create competent and confident learners.
An updated version of Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework has been prepared by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and has now been published online.
You can access the updated Framework and further information at https://www.curriculumonline.ie/early-childhood/aistear-2024/
Aistear, the Irish word for journey, was Ireland’s first curriculum framework for early childhood education when it was introduced in 2009. This is the first update since then and it will come into effect in September 2025.
The updated Aistear is for all children from birth to six years in all settings other than primary and special schools. It can be used by anyone who supports babies, toddlers and young children’s learning and development such as parents, childminders and early years educators.
One of the key changes in the updated Aistear is that words, phrases and proverbs “as Gaeilge” (in Irish) are embedded throughout to promote their use by educators as they interact with babies, toddlers and young children every day.
Greater emphasis has also been placed on experiences that support children’s creativity and their engagement with the arts, emergent literacy and numeracy, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. For example, babies, toddlers and young children will be supported to be creative and take the initiative to explore, respond to and express themselves through art, drama, dance or music.
With the publication of Aistear 2024 (revised), NCCA is publishing several blogs over the coming weeks/months. The blogs discuss the Principles set out in the revised document.
SDCCC will be posting each of these blogs as they become available.
Below is a summary of the first blog.
The 2024 update to Aistear reflects Ireland’s evolving early childhood sector while maintaining its play-based, child-led principles. The principles of early learning have been refined from twelve to nine, emphasising their importance. Key updates include ‘Agentic global citizen,’ fostering choice and sustainability; ‘Diversity, equity, and inclusion,’ promoting fairness and belonging; and ‘Transitions,’ highlighting smooth changes in routines. Relationships, families, play, holistic learning, and learning environments remain central. ‘Agentic educators’ acknowledges all caregivers as educators. Outdoor learning and nature connections are emphasized. The update strengthens Aistear’s foundation, supporting children’s rights, needs, and interests through enriched learning experiences.
Aistear highlights the critical role of play, relationships and language for young children’s learning. In doing this, it provides a guide to using play, interactions, and partnerships with parents and assessment to help children progress in their learning and development. The Framework has both implicit and explicit links with the Primary School Curriculum.
For more information and lots of useful resources go to the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the Aistear Toolkit at
The purpose of the Practice Guide is to support Early Years practitioners in using Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework (2009a) and Síolta, The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education (2006) together to develop the quality of their curriculum and in doing so, to better support children’s learning and development. The Aistear Síolta Practice Guide is an online resource, for more information click here:
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