Foilsiú

National Síolta Aistear Initiative (NSAI): Continuing Aistear's Journey

Ó: An Roinn Leanaí, Míchumais agus Comhionannais
Foilsithe: 21 Samhain 2025
An t-eolas is déanaí: 1 Nollaig 2025

Introduction
Conference Overview
Conference Agenda

A day of professional conversation and reflection.

Monday 1st December 2025 (9.00-16:00pm)

Dublin City University (DCU)

Introduction

Welcome to the National Síolta Aistear Initiative (NSAI): Continuing Aistear's Journey conference. This event is being hosted by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE), in partnership with the Department of Education and Youth (DEY), and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA).

Conference Overview

As part of the dissemination activities for the updated Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework, a national conference was held on May 24th, 2025, in the Dublin Royal Convention Centre. This conference was oversubscribed, and the attendance of educators was prioritised.

This dedicated conference has been organised to present the same content that was covered at the national conference, specifically for support organisations, both inspectorates and academics who were unable to attend. While the keynote address will not be repeated the remainder of the programme will be shared. It will provide a forum for participants to collaboratively explore the updates, new concepts and key messages within the updated Aistear, while also supporting professional development and promoting consistency of messaging in the implementation of the updated Framework.

Conference Agenda

9 -10:00am	Registration Tea, Coffee and Networking
10-10:15am	Welcome & Introduction (DCDE) (Groups 1 & 2 – T1)
10.15 – 10.50am	(Groups 1 & 2 – T1) Dr. Geraldine French Building Relationships: The Power of Slow Relational Pedagogy with Babies and Toddlers: The workshop addresses what is slow relational pedagogy in the context of building relationships and enhancing the learning and development of babies and toddlers responsively, respectfully and sensitively. There is a focus on why slow relational pedagogy is important. Finally, we examine the specific features of engaging in a slow relational pedagogy in professional practice in ECEC settings for working with this age range. These understandings are required for very young children’s flourishing.
	Group 1 moves to T2, and Group 2 moves to T3 Each group stays in the same room 10.55-12.50pm- Group 1 and Group 2 return to T1
10.55-11.30am	Group 1 (T2) Dr Mary Daly (T2) Listening to and: Listening for the Voices of Babies, Toddlers and Young Children in the Transitions Process. This presentation will focus on the importance of supporting positive transitions in the everyday lives of babies, toddlers and young children. It will highlight the importance of supporting and enriching all transitions for babies, toddlers and young children and show how the updated framework, together with the Guidance for Good Practice, supports these. The presentation will provide information on how to listen to the voices of babies, toddlers and young children in the transition process to support and enrich these experiences. The role of the key person and of slow relational pedagogy will also be looked at. The presentation will also highlight that supporting transitions is a shared responsibility between families, childminders, early years educators, settings and schools.	Group 2 (T3) Shirley Heaney (T3) Fostering Learning Environments that promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for all Babies, Toddlers and Young Children: This session will explore how the Principles and Themes of Aistear, the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework embed a strengths-based approach to creating inclusive learning environments that promote well-being and empower babies, toddlers and young children to develop a strong sense of identity and belonging.

Stretch and movement break (stay in the same room)

11.35-12.10pm

Group 1 (T2)

Máire Uí Mhurchú (T2)

Acquiring Gaeilge through Movement, Song and Dance: This workshop will demonstrate how Gaeilge can be naturally and playfully incorporated into a setting's daily or weekly routine —especially through activities that children love, such as singing and movement. You do not need to be proficient in Gaeilge to engage with these activities. There will be an interactive element to this presentation with practical guidance on how to access and use a range of online resources to support your practice.

Group 2 (T3)

Grainne McKenna (T3)

The Inherent Influence of the Agentic Educator- the Role, Reach and Rewards: This session will focus on ‘Agentic Educators’ as an early learning and development principle in Aistear, exploring what this means for professional identity and what it might look like in practice. We will consider the significant influence of the agentic educator on children’s learning and development, as well as the important contributions and connections we make to children’s families and communities.

Stretch and movement break (guests stay in the same room but speakers move)

12.15-12.50pm	Grainne McKenna (T2) The Inherent Influence of the Agentic Educator- the Role, Reach and Rewards: This session will focus on ‘Agentic Educators’ as an early learning and development principle in Aistear, exploring what this means for professional identity and what it might look like in practice. We will consider the significant influence of the agentic educator on children’s learning and development, as well as the important contributions and connections we make to children’s families and communities.	Dr Mary Daly (T3) Listening to and: Listening for the Voices of Babies, Toddlers and Young Children in the Transitions Process. This presentation will focus on the importance of supporting positive transitions in the everyday lives of babies, toddlers and young children. It will highlight the importance of supporting and enriching all transitions for babies, toddlers and young children and show how the updated framework, together with the Guidance for Good Practice, supports these. The presentation will provide information on how to listen to the voices of babies, toddlers and young children in the transition process to support and enrich these experiences. The role of the key person and of slow relational pedagogy will also be looked at. The presentation will also highlight that supporting transitions is a shared responsibility between families, childminders, early years educators, settings and schools.
12.50-14.00pm	Lunch – move to canteen

Group 1 and 2 return to T1

14.00-14.30 pm

NSAI- Lorraine Farrell and Dr Sandra O’Neill

14.35-15.10pm

Shirley Heaney (T2)

Fostering Learning Environments that promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for all Babies, Toddlers and Young Children: This session will explore how the Principles and Themes of Aistear, the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework embed a strengths-based approach to creating inclusive learning environments that promote well-being and empower babies, toddlers and young children to develop a strong sense of identity and belonging.

Máire Uí Mhurchú (T3)

Acquiring Gaeilge through Movement, Song and Dance: This workshop will demonstrate how Gaeilge can be naturally and playfully incorporated into a setting's daily or weekly routine—especially through activities that children love, such as singing and movement. You do not need to be proficient in Gaeilge to engage with these activities. There will be an interactive element to this presentation with practical guidance on how to access and use a range of online resources to support your practice.

Group 1 and 2 return to T1

15.15-15.50pm

(Groups 1 & 2)

Dr. Sharon Skehill

Ómós Áite: Noticing the Learning in Outdoor Spaces and Places: This presentation brings the updated Aistear to life through practical examples of free play, guided play and educator-led playful experiences in the outdoors. It illustrates how the Principles and Themes of Aistear are realised in daily routines, in different learning environments, and the role of the educator in creating spaces and provocations that nurture learning and wellbeing for babies, toddlers and young children - as well as for those who work in practice.

15.50-16.00pm

Concluding Remarks & Event Close

Speaker Biographies

Dr. Geraldine French

Geraldine French is an Associate Professor, Head of School of Language, Literacy and Early Childhood Education, Programme Chair of the Master of Education in Early Childhood Education and Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA) in the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. In the context of early childhood education and care Geraldine has published on quality professional practice, supporting early language, literacy and numeracy and nurturing babies’ learning and development. Her most recent research included leading the literature reviews to update Aistear and the development of the revised national literacy, numeracy and digital literacy strategy (from an early childhood perspective).

Shirley Heaney

Shirley Heaney is Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Care and Education in the Department of Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick (MIC), where she lectures in a wide range of topics including inclusive practice, curriculum and pedagogy and professional development. Previously, Shirley worked with the Leadership for Inclusion in the Early Years (LINC) Programme since its inception in 2016 in a variety of roles, including programme development, delivery, quality review and evaluation, and was the National Coordinator of the LINC Programme from 2021 to 2024. She is a dedicated advocate for supporting the rights of children, families and educators to access and participate in inclusive early years environments. She has extensive experience in the area of inclusive practice in early childhood and has published in this area. Shirley’s research interests include inclusive practice, child well-being, universal design and professional development.

Grainne McKenna

Grainne McKenna is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education and Care at Dublin City University (DCU) Institute of Education. Her current research focuses on equity and social justice in education, particularly the significant impact of nurture and teacher-child relationships on children’s educational access, participation, and learning experiences. Grainne was the Co-Principal Investigator of the literature review to update and enhance Aistear, Ireland’s Early Childhood Curriculum Framework (NCCA, 2022).

Dr. Sharon Skehill

Dr. Sharon Skehill has worked with NCCA for the past 3 years as an Education Officer updating Aistear. She is also an Early Years Educator and Researcher at her full daycare outdoor service in Galway. She has been working with babies, toddlers and young children for over 20 years and is a passionate advocate for early childhood education and care. She has a PhD in Education from University of Limerick / Mary Immaculate College and is currently studying a MSc in Children’s Rights in Queens University Belfast. Sharon has published on many topics relating to early childhood including leadership, curriculum, nature pedagogy, inclusion, and children's rights.

Dr. Mary Daly

Dr. Mary Daly has worked in the area of early childhood care and education in Ireland for the past 25 years. In 1999 Mary completed a BA in Early Childhood Studies from University College Cork followed by PhD in 2002. She worked in a number of different capacities before joining the NCCA in 2006. In her role as Education Officer she has been involved in a number of different projects including the development of Aistear, the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework (2009), the Aistear Toolkit, the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide, and the Mo Scéal Reporting templates which support children’s transition from preschool to primary school. Mary was part of the early childhood team who worked on the updated Aistear (GoI, 2024). Mary is also currently Vice-President of OMEP Ireland which is dedicated to promoting the well-being of all children from birth – eight years and advocating for their right to high quality early childhood education and care.

Máire Uí Mhurchú

Máire UÍ Mhurchú was príomh stiúrthóir (owner/principal) of Naíonra Neasáin, Harmonstown, for 28 years, where she oversaw a total immersion preschool service with 44 ECCE places across two daily sessions. She served as vice-chair of Na Naíonraí Gaelacha and on the board of Forbairt Naíonraí Teo, contributing to seminars, conferences, teacher training workshops, and publications. Máire also delivered workshops for the NCCA as Gaeilge. Since 2017, she has lectured on the “Luath-Oideachas trí Ghaeilge” module, ECE degree, at Marino Institute of Education and was part of the NCCA working group for the updated Aistear (in both English and Irish). She scripted and presented 23 educational videos for TG4 Foghlaim, inspired by the TG4 documentary Naíonra. A qualified dance teacher, Máire has performed internationally and recently led workshops in dance and singing as Gaeilge, in France. She currently serves on the board of Oireachtas na Gaeilge.

National Síolta Aistear Initiative (NSAI): Continuing Aistear's Journey

Introduction

Conference Overview

Conference Agenda

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Conas mar a bhí d’eispéireas ar an leathanach reatha? (ag teastáil)