Aistear the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework

Aistear is the curriculum framework for children from birth to 6 years in Ireland. It provides information for adults to help them plan for and provide enjoyable and challenging experiences so that all children can grow and develop as competent and confident learners within loving relationships with others. 
 
Aistear celebrates early childhood as a time of being, a time for enjoying and learning from experiences as they unfold and laying important foundations for later learning and for life.
 
 
An updated version of Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework has been prepared by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and has now been published. This is the first update to Aistear since the curriculum framework was first published in 2009.
 
The updated Framework incorporates new understandings of the rights of babies, toddlers and young children, sustainability and a deeper awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion.
 
The framework and related resources including a video walk through of the framework can be found here .The structure of updated Framework is similar to the original Framework. It sets out the Vision, purpose, Principles and Themes of Aistear and is supported by the Guidance for Good Practice, available here.
 
A Family Guide to Aistear will be available in early 2025. If you have any questions about it, please contact us at mail@galwaychildcare.com  or telephone 091 752039 and a development officer will be happy to help.
 

 


The Quality Regulatory Framework
Tusla Early Years Inspectorate has developed a Quality and Regulatory Framework (QRF) relevant to all services, to support registered Early Years Services to comply with the Early Years Services 2016 Regulations. The QRF aims to support registered providers in achieving compliance with the regulations and enhance the safety and care of children who attend these services. It does this does this by setting out the core regulatory requirements in a transparent way. The QRF is child-centred, with a specific focus on the quality and safety of the care provided directly to children using the services.
 
 

Síolta the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education.

Síolta contains the Principles, Standards, Components of Quality and Signposts for Reflection.
Síolta has been designed to support engagement in all aspects of quality practice and may be used by an individual Early Years Educator, in working with colleagues and also as a support for networking with other professional colleagues who work with young children from birth to six years. See Síolta
 
 
Aistear Síolta Practice Guide
The purpose of the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide (NCCA, 2015) is to support Educators in using Aistear The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework and Síolta The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education together to develop the quality of their practice and in doing so, to better support children’s learning and development. The Practice Guide includes resources to help Educators to critically reflect on their curriculum and to identify what works well. Additionally, the resources can help Educators to identify priorities for development and to plan actions for positive change.
Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework for babies, toddlers and young children has been updated. The AistearSíolta Practice Guide is currently being updated to reflect the changes to the updated Aistear. This video will guide you on how to use the practice guide. 



An Introduction video to Aistear, Síolta and the Practice Guide is available here.