How to Plan an Emergent Curriculum in Your Early Years Setting
What if your curriculum started with the children rather than a plan you wrote months ago? That is the heart of emergent curriculum and once you experience it working well…
Early Years Hub News
Staff Retention in Irish Childcare Settings: Practical Strategies for 2026
The Irish childcare sector is facing a workforce challenge that threatens the quality and sustainability of services nationwide. Experienced staff are leaving and attracting qualified replacements is harder than ever.…
Supporting Children with Additional Needs in Early Years Settings: A Practical Guide for Irish Educators
Every child deserves to experience early years education in a setting where they are fully included, supported and celebrated for who they are. For children with additional needs, the right…
Childminding in Ireland 2026: New Regulations, Tusla Registration and What Every Childminder Needs to Know
If you are a childminder in Ireland, 2026 is a pivotal year. The Childminding Regulations 2024 have fundamentally changed the landscape, bringing childminders into the formal regulatory framework for the…
Building Blocks Scheme 2026: How Irish Childcare Providers Can Apply for Expansion Grants
Ireland has a well-documented shortage of early years places. The Building Blocks Scheme is one of the Government’s most direct tools for addressing that gap. If you are thinking about…
Equal Start Programme Ireland 2026: What It Is and How Your Service Can Access the Supports
If your early years service works with children who face disadvantage, the Equal Start Programme could be one of the most significant sources of support available to you in 2026.…
How to Set Up a Creche in Ireland in 2026: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Thinking about opening a creche in Ireland in 2026? You are stepping into one of the most meaningful and most regulated sectors in the country. This guide walks you through…
Play-Based Learning in Ireland: Why It Works and How to Implement It 2026
Play-based learning in Ireland’s early years sector is not a trend or an educational fashion. It is the approach to learning and development that is most strongly supported by national…
Siolta Quality Framework: A Practical Guide for Irish Early Years Educators 2026
Siolta, the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education in Ireland, is one of the two foundational frameworks that underpin quality practice in every early years setting across the country.…
