Webinar 1 – Discussion Forum

[Mairead]

I don’t think we do enough to help the rights of the child in a practice. We need to communicate more with the parents and find out what more we can learn about their child. Respect their languages and cultures. Getting involved more in their Theme days.

[Wanderson]

In Ireland, our approach to early childhood education prioritizes the rights and individual needs of every child in our care. Guided by frameworks like Aistear and Siolta, our practices emphasize:

– Child-Centred Approach: Giving children a voice and agency in their learning.
– Inclusive Environment: Ensuring all children feel valued and respected, regardless of background or ability.
– Safety and Well-being: Implementing strict safety protocols and fostering supportive relationships.
– Play-Based Learning: Integrating play to enhance creativity and social skills.
– Individualized Support: Tailoring teaching strategies to meet each child's unique needs.
– Cultural Diversity: Celebrating and respecting diverse cultural backgrounds.
– Partnership with Families: Collaborating with families to support children's development and well-being.
– Through continuous reflection and improvement, we strive to create nurturing environments where every child can thrive and have their rights respected and protected.

[Natalie]

following our national framework Siolta we focus on the child and their needs and rights along with our curriculum framework following the four themes of Aistear the rights of the child are met and following the childs interests and helping them to learn to their full potential yes we do consider the rights of the child and their needs

[Caroline]

In our service is it Reggio inspired in our curriculum so it is child lead and respect each child’s rights in our room.We ask the children what they like to do and observe there interest to support there likes in activities.In our day we do activities indoor and outdoor such as tuff table,table tops,mud kitchen,sensory play,children interest etc we set up different areas of interests so the children can explore the different areas of interest them self.In respecting the children we do family wall,if a child different nationality couple basic words on the wall to include their culture.We are trying to invite the parents more into the service such as their profession maybe come in a talk to the children.We had one of the boys father who is a farmer bring in a lamb to show the children and they were very excited to see and hear the lamb .We will try to invite more parent but it takes time as parents are busy or the service can be busy also but working on it to include all families and cultures as we do through aistear and siolta daily.

[Early Childhood Ireland]

Thank you to all participants for sharing your perspectives on the topic of respecting and protecting the rights of children in your service. It is evident here that there are various approaches and practices in place to ensure that every child’s individual needs are met and their rights are respected. Moving forward, how can we further enhance our practices to ensure that every child’s individual needs and rights are fully respected and safeguarded in early learning and school-age care? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas for fostering inclusive and supportive environments for all children.