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. It is not just about extra funding. It is about transforming what your setting is able to offer to the children and families who need it most. This guide explains everything in plain language.
What Is the Equal Start Programme?
Equal Start is a targeted quality improvement and support programme funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY). It was designed to address a clear and well-documented reality: children from disadvantaged backgrounds consistently experience worse early learning outcomes than their peers, and the right support at the right time can close that gap.
Equal Start builds on the work of Better Start, the national support service for the early years sector, and extends it specifically into settings and communities where disadvantage is most concentrated. It operates alongside Core Funding, ECCE and NCS rather than replacing them. Think of it as an additional layer of targeted support on top of the universal funding framework.
The programme is child-centred and context-sensitive. It recognises that not every setting needs the same level of support and not every child faces the same barriers. The three-tier structure of Equal Start exists precisely to match the level of support to the level of need.
The Three Tiers of Equal Start Support Explained
Tier 1: Universal Supports Available to All Settings
Tier 1 is for every registered early years service in Ireland. It provides access to online resources, guidance materials, training modules and toolkits focused on working effectively with children experiencing disadvantage. These are the baseline tools that every practitioner should be aware of, whatever the profile of their setting.
Tier 2: Child-Targeted Supports for Specific Children
Tier 2 focuses on individual children who are experiencing specific risk factors. This includes children in the care of Tusla, children from Traveller and Roma communities, children seeking asylum or refugee status, children experiencing homelessness and children from families facing significant challenges such as addiction or domestic violence. Additional funding, specialist input and wraparound supports can be accessed at this tier to ensure those specific children can participate fully in early learning.
Tier 3: Setting-Targeted Supports for High-Disadvantage Areas
Tier 3 is the most intensive level of Equal Start support and is available to services in designated areas of disadvantage as identified through the POBAL HP Deprivation Index. Settings at this tier receive sustained, embedded support from a dedicated Equal Start Co-ordinator and additional funding to address the structural challenges of serving a high-disadvantage community.
How to Access Better Start Mentoring Through Equal Start
Better Start is the national support service for early years providers, funded by the DCEDIY and operated through Pobal. Through Equal Start, Better Start co-ordinators and quality mentors work directly with settings to provide coaching, in-service support and quality improvement guidance. Here is how to access this support:
- Contact your local City or County Childcare Committee (CCC). Your CCC is the first point of contact. They will connect you with the Better Start co-ordinator covering your area.
- Complete a self-evaluation using Siolta and Aistear. Better Start mentors use these national frameworks to baseline your current practice as a positive starting point for improvement.
- Co-develop a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP). Based on your self-evaluation, you and your mentor will agree on a focused plan of action tailored to your setting.
- Receive regular mentoring visits. Your Better Start mentor will visit your setting regularly, typically every four to six weeks, to support implementation of your QIP.
Even if your service is not in a Tier 3 area, you can still request Better Start mentoring support. Contact your CCC and ask about current availability in your area.
Area-Based Supports Under Equal Start
Beyond the tier structure, Equal Start includes specific area-based supports delivered in partnership with local organisations in communities of greatest need:
- Equal Start Co-ordinators: dedicated staff who work across multiple early years settings in a specific high-disadvantage area, providing co-ordination, advocacy and tailored practice support
- Community Links Workers: professionals who work directly with families, particularly those hardest to reach, building trust and removing barriers to engagement with early years services
- Joined-up working: Equal Start actively supports collaboration between early years settings, local primary schools, public health nurses and social work teams in targeted areas
Documentation Your Service Needs to Access Equal Start
- Current Tusla registration certificate
- Active and up-to-date POBAL PIP profile with accurate service data
- Evidence of eligible children meeting Tier 2 criteria, handled in line with GDPR
- Current Child Safeguarding Statement reviewed within the last twelve months
- Family consent and data sharing agreements where required
- A completed or in-progress Quality Improvement Plan for Better Start mentoring
Early Years Shop stocks a wide range of compliance and documentation resources for Irish early years services, including safeguarding guides and quality and compliance toolkits. Browse the full range at earlyyearsshop.ie.
How Equal Start Improves Outcomes for Disadvantaged Children
The evidence behind Equal Start is compelling. High-quality early years education has the greatest positive impact on children who experience the most disadvantage. Equal Start drives better outcomes by:
- Raising the quality of early learning environments in disadvantaged areas through sustained embedded mentoring
- Ensuring children with specific risk factors receive targeted support within their own familiar early years setting
- Strengthening family engagement so parents are genuine partners in their children's early learning
- Supporting staff wellbeing and professional development in settings under the greatest pressure
- Building community connections so early years settings become genuine hubs of support for whole families
Is Equal Start Right for Your Service?
Consider whether any of the following apply to your setting:
- You serve children from families experiencing poverty, homelessness or significant family stress
- Your service is located in an area with a high deprivation score on the POBAL HP Index
- You have children in your setting who are known to Tusla or who are in State care
- You work with children from Traveller, Roma or refugee and asylum-seeking communities
- You find it challenging to meaningfully engage some families in their children's early learning
If any of these apply, Equal Start was designed with your service in mind. Do not wait for the programme to come to you. Reach out to your local CCC or Better Start co-ordinator today.
Final Thoughts
Equal Start is a genuinely transformative programme for settings working in challenging contexts. It is not about deficit thinking or labelling communities. It is about recognising that some children need more and ensuring the services supporting them have the resources, skills and partnerships to deliver it. If your setting is eligible, accessing Equal Start supports is not just an opportunity. It is a responsibility to the children and families in your care.
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Visit earlyyearsshop.ie to browse our safeguarding guides, quality and compliance toolkits and inspection preparation resources.
