How can my service get involved in Childhood Services Week in 2022?

As part of Childhood Services Week 2022, we are asking service providers, staff and childminders to plan for and provide a little ‘Festival of the Arts’ during this dedicated week in your setting; appropriate to your children’s ages and stages of development. If you want, you can tell us how you provide for the arts in your service!  Tell us through words, videos and images about the type of arts activity that you offer to the children in your service.

• What arts-based play opportunities are part of your daily routine?

• What special arts experiences might you provide access to during Childhood Services Week (Note, NCN and our collaborating organisations will be sharing lots of ideas in the coming weeks on our social media platforms. You can do so too!).

• Do you have photos and/or videos that you can share of children enjoying their favourite arts activities at your service?

• How about recording what the children think/say about their favourite arts experiences so that you can share with parents to celebrate Childhood Services week?

We’d love if you would email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. pictures or videos of arts activities in action within your service as described above.  We’d love to hear from both your staff and the children at your service.

Let’s showcase all the wonderful work that services do across Ireland

Regularly enjoying a broad range of play-based arts experiences, we know from experience and research is hugely beneficial for children. Children will have their own likes and dislikes but a curriculum framework that includes many different opportunities for children to experience the arts is crucial for their holistic development and enjoyment.

Singing, dancing or moving to music, listening to, making up or acting out stories, poems and rhymes, dressing up, drama and role play, moulding and sculpting dough or clay, using open-ended materials, loose parts or flowers and leaves from outdoors…all these activities provide the potential for joyful and engaging arts experiences for children.

Why not reflect and build upon your current arts provision with colleagues and children in the coming weeks and plan your own Festival of the Arts for during this week?

If you need some inspiration, look at our social media channels where in recent weeks we have been sharing lots of useful activity ideas. Also, have a look at our video of Childhood Services Week 2021 here to get some further inspiration.

We’d also love if you could share your own ideas on any firm favourites in your service so that we can share them with other services.

Finally, feel free to have a look at the photographs and videos service providers shared with us from 2021 by exploring our website.

On this page we aim to feature publications and resources that will assist you in your practice. If there is something you wish us to feature here that would assist your fellow practitioners please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

 Here is an article on Racism from Nursery World in the UK which you can download

Here is the latest update from HPSC as at 31.1.21

 Here is a document from Nursery World in the UK about Potty Training which you can download

Here are links to two documents that DCEDIY released yesterday

https://bit.ly/3GiHjA8

http://gov.ie/nurturingskills

From Nurseryworld Magazine -  Health & Nutrition

 HPSC Guidance 10.11.21
1st November

                                 I

What is Continuous Provision Part 1 & Part 2 - From Nursery World Magazine

               

Be Kind how adults can influence children with this and co-regulation

             
                                                This is the latest Q&A Booklet from Tusla V5

Here is a collaboration between Barnardos and NCN for newcomers and existing employees into the sector

 The Benefit of Music for Children           

 Here is the latest updated from HPSC 30.08.21

.

 A Shared Vision for Outdoors

 PlayBoard's Summer of Play Challenge To Children in  Northern Ireland 

Given the fundamental importance of play in the lives of  children,no matter where they live on the island of Ireland, PlayBoardNI has shared their Challenge to Play poster with organisations working with children in  the Republic. 

 Feel free to download and display within  settings or  forward colleagues and parents. 

 Early Years Sector Report                  ECI HR FAQ's Updated 15 June 2021
2019/2020

EWSS Document as at          Working Time Agreement     Return to Work
31 March 2021                       Including Holiday                      Safely Updated
                                               Entitlements

NEW HPSC GUIDELINES dated 24 MARCH 2021 - AS ALL CHILDREN RETURN TO SERVICES

  Strengthening Peschool Children's Resilience

 A new publication from Barnardos -                       Outdoor Ideas for March
Supporting Young Children Experiencing               From Nurseryworld          
Adversity during COVID-19

The A - Z of Learning from Nursery World in the UK

C is for Circuits & Celebrations       D is for Dyeing Dens and Dance

E is for Eggs & Environment             F is for Friends Fireworks & Frogs

G is for Glorious Garden                 H is for Home-School Links        

I is for Interest-Led                                 J is for Joy
             

K is for Key Person Approach             Play Scotland  Active Outdoor                                                                                                                   

Barnardos Key Person Approach           Children and the Arts

Advice from Dr. Abigail Collins, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, responsible for Early Childhood Care and Education

Funding FAQs  for

1 February to 5th March 2021

HPSC Assessment and Decision Making Pathways Document for COVID

DCEDIY Frequently Asked Questions
22nd January 2021  Version 3

DCEDIY Frequently Asked Questions 
12th January 2021

 Pathways to Better Prospects

Impact of Re-opening Survey                 Arts Experiences for Young Children

The adventures of Aoife & Daithi

       

As part of our National Childhood Services week 2021, we are looking for you the practitioners to participate in in the recording of our Banaha Challenge. The song we have chosen for this activity is Banaha, a Congolese folk song, from the Katanga Province in southern Congo and today is sung all over the world. You as practitioners are being asked to send us your clips of taking part in our Banaha Challenge. All you have to do is send your own take of this to …………………..

Banaha Links:

https://youtu.be/E9t0nGVeZy4 Banaha · R. Robinson ·

Amadeus IN

https://youtu.be/1hwrzYJHaEM Banaha Body Percussion Practice

Here are two videos of National Childhood Services Week in 2018

                        

The Wendy House Dundalk           Tubbercurry FRC                       
                                                                                                                                   
                    

Happy Days Preschool Ratoath                       Greenwood Montessori          

ELMS Montessori                                                             The Hive County Meath

Paisti Preschool                                                             Jellytots Glamire County Cork                                                   

Galway Steiner Kindergarten                              Scallywags Muckross

Teach Spraoi Ennis County Clare                           Busy Beavers

Aladdins Corner Creche & Montessori                Lilliputs Montessori School Cork
Dublin

 Piccolini Play & Learn Preschool Enniskerry