Children 2020

Young children develop, learn and are nurtured in many places: in their own homes – with their parents and families – in the homes of their grandparents, other relatives and childminders, and in services such as crèches, playgroups and naíonraí. As the proverb says, it takes a village to raise a child.

But, while each child’s early years may be a colourful patchwork of supports and opportunities, as a society we can’t afford to have a patchwork response to children’s rights and needs. Ireland doesn’t have a comprehensive and sustainable system of early care and education that meets the needs and rights of all our children.

We can’t achieve this overnight, but we can put the plans in place. That’s why Start Strong is calling for a national, 10-year plan for early childhood. And that’s why we are calling this plan Children 2020, in the hope that all children born in Ireland in 2020 will have the supports and services they need to give them strong foundations as they start out in life.

Our policy brief Planning for the Early Years explains why Ireland needs a focused and ambitious plan for the long-term development of early childhood education and care.

The priorities that Start Strong believes should be central to Children 2020 are set out in our leaflet Children 2020: Giving Children a Strong Start in Life.