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. Alongside the updated Aistear curriculum framework, Siolta defines what high-quality early learning and care looks like, and gives educators, managers and providers a structured way to reflect on and improve their practice continuously. Despite its importance, Siolta is often less well understood than Aistear in day-to-day practice. Many educators are familiar with Aistear’s four themes and use them regularly in planning. Siolta’s 12 principles, 16 standards and 75 components of quality can feel more abstract and harder to apply to the daily life of a busy creche or preschool room. This guide makes Siolta practical, accessible and immediately usable in any Irish early years setting.

What Is Siolta and Where Does It Come From?

Siolta, the Irish word for seeds, is the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education in Ireland. It was developed by the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education, known as the CECDE, on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills. It was published in 2006 following a three-year development process that involved consultation with more than 50 organisations representing childcare workers, teachers, policy makers, parents, researchers and other interested parties. Siolta is designed to define, assess and support the improvement of quality across all aspects of practice in early childhood settings where children from birth to six years are present. These include creches, full day care and sessional services, childminding settings, drop-in centres and infant classes in primary schools. Siolta was reviewed in 2017 as part of the National Siolta Aistear Initiative, which simplified the framework and merged the original four service-type manuals into a single revised version. Responsibility for Siolta sits with the Early Years Education Policy Unit in the Department of Education.

The Three Elements of Siolta

Siolta has three distinct but interrelated elements that work together to provide a comprehensive picture of quality in early years practice:  

• The 12 Principles provide the overall vision and values that underpin the entire framework. They describe what Siolta believes about children, childhood, families, adults, and the purpose of early years settings.
• The 16 Standards describe the specific areas of practice where quality must be achieved. Each standard addresses a different dimension of early years provision.
• The 75 Components of Quality break each standard down into observable, practical indicators. The components are what you actually do in practice to achieve each standard.

  The Components of Quality are further supported by Signposts for Reflection and Think-abouts, which are questions and prompts designed to help practitioners and teams reflect critically on their current practice and identify priorities for development.

The 12 Principles of Siolta

The 12 Principles are the philosophical heart of Siolta. They set out the values and beliefs that should inform all practice in an early years setting. They are:  

• The Value of Early Childhood: Children’s early childhood is a significant and distinct period that must be respected, nurtured and valued in its own right.
• Children First: A child’s individuality, strengths, rights and needs are central to quality early years practice.
• Parents: Parents are the primary educators of the child and have a fundamental role in supporting their child’s wellbeing, learning and development.
• Relationships: Relationships with children, families, educators, communities and wider society are central to quality early years practice.
• Equality: Quality early years practice is committed to fairness, respect and the inclusion of all children and families.
• Diversity: Quality early years settings recognise and respect diversity and ensure all children and families have their individual, cultural and linguistic identity valued.
• Environments: The quality of the physical environment directly impacts children’s wellbeing, learning and development.
• Welfare: The safety, health and wellbeing of children must be protected and promoted in all early years settings.
• The Role of the Adult: The adult’s role in early years settings is fundamental to the provision of quality experiences.
• Teamwork: Collaborative working among all involved in children’s lives supports quality outcomes.
• Pedagogy: Play is central to quality early years practice as the primary vehicle for learning.
• Identity and Belonging: All children’s participation in and identification with their culture and community is essential to quality early years provision.

The 16 Standards: What They Cover

Each of Siolta’s 16 standards covers a distinct area of practice. Together they provide a comprehensive picture of quality in all aspects of early years provision. The 16 standards are:  

• Rights of the Child
• Environments
• Parents and Families
• Consultation
• Interactions
• Play
• Curriculum
• Planning and Evaluation
• Health and Welfare
• Organisation
• Professional Practice
• Communication
• Transitions
• Identity and Belonging
• Legislation and Regulation
• Community Involvement

  Each standard has a clear statement of what it means in practice, a set of components that describe specific indicators of quality under that standard, and a set of Signposts for Reflection to support teams in evaluating their current practice. Ten of the 16 standards are also addressed in the Aistear Siolta Practice Guide, which provides even more detailed practical support for implementation.

How to Use Siolta in Your Daily Practice

The most effective way to use Siolta is not to work through all 16 standards and 75 components at once. That approach is overwhelming and counterproductive. Instead, the recommended approach is to focus on one or two standards at a time, reflect on current practice against the components, identify areas for development, and implement changes over a realistic timeframe. Here is a practical approach to using Siolta in your setting:  

• Choose one standard that is most relevant to a current priority or challenge in your setting, for example Standard 6 (Play) or Standard 5 (Interactions)
• Read the components of quality under that standard carefully with your team
• Use the Signposts for Reflection to discuss as a team how your current practice measures up to each component
• Identify two or three specific actions you will take to strengthen practice under that standard
• Set a realistic timeframe for each action and assign responsibility for it
• Review progress at your next team meeting and document what you have learned and changed
• Move to the next standard when you are ready, building a quality improvement plan over time

  This approach, known as the Siolta developmental continuum, is used as the basis of the formal Siolta Quality Assurance Programme which is available through your local City or County Childcare Committee with mentoring support from Better Start.

How Siolta and Aistear Work Together

Siolta and Aistear are Ireland’s two national frameworks for early years quality and they are designed to complement each other. An audit of both frameworks carried out by the NCCA and the CECDE in 2009, updated in 2024 to reflect the updated Aistear, confirmed that the two frameworks align closely in their principles and values while serving different purposes. Siolta focuses on quality across all aspects of early years provision, including management, environment, relationships, professional practice and community connections, as well as the child’s learning experience. Aistear focuses specifically on the content of children’s learning and development, describing what children should have the opportunity to learn and how educators can support that learning. In practice, the two frameworks work together like this: you use Aistear to plan what children will learn and how you will support that learning, and you use Siolta to evaluate and improve the quality of all the conditions, environments, interactions and practices that make that learning possible. The Aistear Siolta Practice Guide, developed by the NCCA, brings both frameworks together in a single practical resource and is available for free on ncca.ie. It is one of the most useful practical tools available to any Irish early years educator.

Siolta and Tusla Inspections

While Tusla inspections are based on the 2016 Regulations and the QRF rather than directly on Siolta, there is significant alignment between Siolta standards and the QRF inspection themes. An inspector assessing the Health, Welfare and Development of Children theme will be looking for evidence of high-quality practice that is consistent with the values and standards described in Siolta, particularly in relation to play, interactions, the learning environment, and how the programme is planned and evaluated. Services that use Siolta as a genuine self-evaluation tool and can demonstrate ongoing quality improvement through documented reflection are consistently among the best performing in Tusla inspections. The quality of your practice, not just the completeness of your documentation, is what Siolta supports you to develop.

Frequently Asked Questions About Siolta