Children 2020
Investing in young children will lay the foundations for growth in the future, both for the economy – with high economic returns – and for our children.
Our report - Children 2020: Planning Now, for the Future - offers both a vision for the future of young children's care and education in Ireland and proposals for immediate actions. We have called it Children 2020 as our proposals aim to build the quality supports and services that children born in Ireland in 2020 will need to give them a positive start in life.
Ireland is at a time of change. People are questioning our values as a society, and are asking what our priorities should be in the decade ahead. Young children must be a priority. They are the future of our society, and their well-being matters right now. Early childhood is a critical period in life, and high quality care and education in early childhood is essential if we are to give young children strong foundations.
Preparation of the Children 2020 report involved:
- A review of research evidence on child development, on early childhood education and care, and on policy effectiveness in services and supports for young children and their families.
- Analysis of national and international benchmarks and standards, including reports from the NESF, the OECD, the European Commission Childcare Network, UNICEF and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
- A consultation process that involved more than 200 adults and more than 600 children. The consultation involved parents of young children, service providers, academic researchers, Government officials, County Childcare Committees, professional bodies, NGOs and others.
Five key principles underpin the vision that emerged from our consultation process and form the basis for our recommendations:
- Children come first. All children have rights. Children's well-being and development should be the driving force in policies on early care and education.
- High quality. The quality of young children's experiences in all settings - both in the home and in services outside the home - is critical to their well-being and development. The Government must prioritise quality in services and supports for young children and their families.
- All young children. All children matter. High quality services and supports should be universal - provided for all children, affordable and accessible - with additional supports for those who need them.
- All families. Families are central in young children's lives. A wide range of mainstream supports should be readily available to all families.
- Linked services. Promoting children's well-being and development requires well-coordinated services and supports for young children and their families.
