‘I AM BABA’ by Anna Newell with David Goodall. Photo: Neil Harrison
  

 Pilot Arts in Early Learning & Care and School Age Childcare Scheme  

The Arts Council is delighted to partner with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) on an Arts in Early learning & Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) pilot. The pilot is being overseen by a steering group made up of representatives from the DCEDIY Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare Division, the Department of Education Early Years Inspectorate, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (DTCAGSM), and the Arts Council.  

The pilot is supporting professional artists and arts organisations to work with Early Learning & Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) settings, and to explore the Draft Principles for Engaging with the Arts in Early Learning and Care recently published by the DCEDIY. It includes children aged 0-3, 4-6 and 7+ across a variety of settings in different parts of the country.

Following a  Call for Applications    the following artists and arts organisations have been selected to participate in the pilot.

Graffiti: BEAG 

A multidisciplinary approach to support creativity and the arts for children aged 0-3 years. Artists Rachel Doolin, Grace Kiely and Niamh Geoghegan will work with three ELC settings in Cork and Clare. 

Kids Own Publishing Partnership:  

Visual artists Maree Hensey and Naomi Draper will work with two ELC settings in Co Sligo.

The Ark

Exploration of drama and visual arts. Artists Joanna Parkes and Jane Groves will work with two settings in Dublin.

Monica Munoz Marin: 

Creative movement and dance. Dance artist Monica Munoz Marin will work with two ELC settings in Dublin.

The pilot scheme is being coordinated by the Early Childhood Education and Care team; Atlantic Technological University Galway / Mayo, led by Dr Rita Melia.

 More on early  childhood  arts  

The Arts Council has been supporting artists and practitioners working in early years arts for more than a decade. In 2012, the Arts Council commissioned its first research report in this area, Early Childhood Arts: Three Perspectives, which included an overview of Early Childhood Education and Care policy and provision in Ireland, a background paper on the role of the arts in early childhood learning and development, and an international perspective on best practice in Early Childhood Arts. The paper documented eight early childhood arts projects as part of the research and provides useful insights on what was then an emerging area of practice. Practitioners in Ireland have since continued to develop their practice in this area through a wide variety of projects and initiatives.

Research regarding arts and cultural participation among children confirms the benefits to children when they engage in the arts in their early years, and also indicates that patterns of participation in the arts are set from a very young age. The research points to the important role early years settings can play in ensuring children from diverse backgrounds and different genders have opportunities to participate freely in the arts. The Arts Council is delighted to continue to partner with others to support and promote the arts in early years. Please see information about our Residencies, as a related initiative in this area.