Information for Parents
Better Start (formerly the Better Start National Early Years Quality Development Service) is a national support initiative funded by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and hosted by Pobal. Its overall purpose is to improve the quality, inclusion, and practice in early learning and care (ELC) services across Ireland for children from birth to around 6 years. It does this by providing:
- Mentoring, coaching, and quality development support to early years providers
- Training and professional development
- Other resources to enhance quality practice in settings
To learn more about Better Start click on the link below:
For further information contact the Better Start Team on 01 51 17 888, enquiries@betterstart.ie or refer to the Better Start Website.
Better Start is a national initiative established by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) to bring an integrated national approach to developing quality in Early Years Education and Care (ECCE) for children aged from birth to six years in Ireland.
It is a national service, working in collaboration with City and County Childcare Committees and Voluntary Childcare Organisations to ensure that children in Ireland benefit from high quality early years services. Síolta, The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Aistear, The National Early Years Curriculum Framework are the national quality frameworks which underpin this work. These evidence-based frameworks are designed to support early years services to provide the best possible outcomes for children from birth to six years.
It coordinates and extends the wide-ranging choice of supports and services already provided through Childcare Committees and Voluntary Childcare Organisations. This initiative provides a specialist on-site mentoring service.
The mentoring service is delivered by a highly skilled and experienced Early Years Specialist team.
For further information contact the Better Start Team on 01 51 17 888, enquiries@betterstart.ie or refer to the Better Start Website.
At Barnardos, we have been helping vulnerable children in Ireland since the 1960s. Our core purpose remains the same; ‘to help the most vulnerable children in society achieve their full potential – regardless of their family circumstances, their gender, race or disability.’
Our ambition for 2027 is to deliver a wider and deeper range of services and supports. As a trauma-informed specialist organisation we have embedded the trauma-informed ethos and practice into all aspects of how we operate.
