28th April 2007
Eighteen childcare services from all over the country have received All-Ireland Centre of Excellence Awards
Eighteen childcare services from all over Ireland have received All-Ireland Centre of Excellence Awards.
The Awards were jointly developed by the National Children's Nursery Association (NCNA) and the Northern Ireland Pre-school and Playschool Association (NIPPA). They were presented Minister for Children Brian Lenihan.
The Minister thanked both organisations and spoke about the dedication of members of NCNA to high quality standards in the Early Childhood Care and Education sector. He also congratulated the recipients of the awards, which included a mixture of urban, rural, private and community based providers.
"These prestigious Centre of Excellence Awards are available to childcare providers who are committed to raising standards and providing quality services,' the Minister said.
Awards were granted to:
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Youth Horizons in Jobstown, Dublin 24;
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St. Catherine's Community Services Centre and Co. Carlow VEC Childcare Centre, both in Carlow Town;
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Mother Hubbard's Crèche in Navan, Co. Meath;
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Little Partners Crèche in Dundalk, Co. Louth;
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Colaiste Stiofan Naofa in Cork;
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The Civil Service crèches Kids Inc. in Mount St. and Marlborough St. in Dublin;
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The Civil Service Crèche in Ennis, Co. Clare.
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The Chatterbox Day Nursery in Newcastle, Co. Down.
Assessment criteria for the Awards included:
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Activities and programmes for children;
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Relationships in the nursery;
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Partnerships with families;
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Health, safety and hygiene;
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Staff conditions and professional development;
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Physical environment;
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Food and nutrition;
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Management and administration;
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Implementation of policies and procedures;
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Evaluation and review of the nursery.
The Awards were launched in 2002 and were rolled out for the first time on an All-Ireland basis this year, in co-operation with the NIPPA. To date, 82 Awards have been presented to childcare facilities around the country.
"I would like to wish the NIPPA and NCNA every success with the roll out of their Joint Awards Programme and look forward to seeing the results of their collaboration at future awards ceremonies,' Minister Lenihan said.
