The Department of Children, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Youth intends to develop and publish a national plan in 2024 on Irish language provision in early learning and care and school-age childcare, and the public consultation is now live.

This national plan will be critical for the naíonraí and other care services for children that operate through Irish, both in the Gaeltacht and outside Gaeltacht areas.

Gaeloideachas’ vision is that a place in a local naíonra will be available for all children, and that they will be provided with high-quality early immersion education. Unfortunately, without formal recognition and support from the State, naíonraí are at risk of closure, especially outside Gaeltacht areas.

According to a report published by the Department of Children, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Youth in 2023, there were only 53 early years services outside the Gaeltacht that confirmed they operate entirely through Irish (in keeping with Gaeloideachas’ definition of what a naíonra is). By comparison, there are 153 gaelscoileanna outside the Gaeltacht.

Gaeloideachas wants everyone in our community to take part in this important consultation, so that the plan is as supportive and comprehensive as possible. Here are ways to help:

1. Email your suggestions for the plan to qualitydevelopment@equality.gov.ie.

You can include as much detail as you want, and focus on the issues that are most important to you, e.g. support for children with special education needs, the availability of afterschool care through Irish, pay and conditions for staff, etc. 

2. Take the survey here.  The survey is being conducted by the Department of Children, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Youth. Here are Gaeloideachas’ responses to the survey questions, and the reasoning behind them.

The consultation period closes at 17.00 on 12 July 2024.

As background information, you can read Gaeloideachas’ submission to the Committee on the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Irish-speaking Community on the crisis in naíonraí outside Gaeltacht areas here.

Gaeloideachas’ three major asks of the new national plan are:

• We need a scheme to formally recognise naíonraí providing early immersion education, alongside a quality assurance scheme that provides appropriate supports for the naíonraí and the children in their care.
• We need a subsidy scheme for naíonraí to ensure that they will be viable and that they will be able to provide high quality early immersion education to the children in their care
• We need strategic investment in Irish-medium early years to help recruit, build capacity and retain naíonra teachers and provide quality early immersion education for young children

Ní neart go cur le chéile, so please take the time to add your voice to support naíonraí in these consultations.