NAME:  Professor Francis Douglas

OCCUPATION:  Professor of Early Childhood Studies at University College Cork

Where are you from? 
My mother was Belgian, my father half Scots/half Irish and I was born in London.

What is your earliest childhood memory?
Being broken down in the family car on an overnight trip from Lincolnshire to Cornwall in a 1930 Singer Junior.

How many siblings have you? 
Four - 3 sisters, 1 brother.

Where did you go to school/college?
Stamford School, Stamford, Lincolnshire and the School of Navigation, University of Southampton (pre Sea Training Course); I was aged 16 when I went to sea.

Was there a teacher or lecturer who had a particular influence on you?
Yes. Dr. Joseph McEvoy, St. Joseph’s College of Education, Andersonstown, Belfast

What attracted you to work in Early Childhood Education/Care?
Initially, the children in the docks in Dublin that used to run after me begging for halfpennies dressed in clothes with holes and no shoes. Later, I became extremely interested in young children academically because you could see a significant change in the young child from year to year which was not possible with older children.

My PhD is the first PhD in Ireland on Irish Playgroups. The most significant piece of research in which I have been involved is, in my opinion, Project EYE – An Irish Curriculum, for the 2-4 year old child (now published by OMEP Ireland).

You have the distinction of holding the first chair in Ireland in Early Childhood Studies. How did you arrive at this point in your career?
Before coming to UCC in 1980, I was involved in giving a number of lectures on Early Childhood Learning in Belfast. When I arrived in UCC, I tried to promote this area but without success.

However, in 1989 I managed, with my colleague Dr. Mary Horgan, to initiate an adult and continuing education course on Learning and the Pre-School Child which proved extremely popular in Munster.

Whilst, on sabbatical in Germany in 1993, I was suddenly struck with the idea that a course on Early Childhood Studies could become a reality in UCC if four Professors agreed on the proposal, as this would give the necessary impetus to the proposal.

This in fact proved to be the case and the degree started in 1995. This was followed by the first M.Phil student graduating in Early Childhood Studies in 2000 – now Dr. Vera O’Donovan, and the first two Ph.D students in 2001 – Dr. Maura Cunneen and Dr. Rosaleen Murphy.

Early Childhood Studies is still an emerging discipline in Ireland. What are the main challenges of holding a key position in this field?
The main challenges facing ECS in Ireland are: firstly, the low status which working with young children has and stemming from this the lack of money compared to other European Countries which have invested in the area.

And secondly, the necessity for providing the highest level of quality of provision for our youngest citizens which requires the putting in place of the necessary structures, training and curriculum.

I am glad to say that through the CECDE and the NCCA this process has already been started.

What does a typical workday involve for you?
Sending email/dealing with correspondence; giving lectures; attending meetings; travelling to Dublin to sit on Committees; attending other third level Institutions that are starting the ECS degree; acting as External Examiner; supervising PhD students; seeking research funding etc.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
The notion that the growth of Early Childhood Studies at third level is having a positive effect on the experience of the child from conception to age 6.

What do you like least about your work?
The frustration of dealing with authority which often consists of men who do not understand the problems that we in Early Childhood Studies face.

What would you most like to change?
The attitude, in particular, of the Irish Government towards Early Childhood Education and Care. I would like them to look closely at the Scandinavian model of childcare which is mostly of high quality and free to all.

I believe that if the Irish Government was to invest significant sums of money on high quality childcare now they would reap huge benefits in 15 – 20 years time.

One example is that in Scandinavian countries you can have cigarette machines on each street where you put your money in and take out your packet of cigarettes. In Ireland, I know that both the cigarettes and the money would be robbed by vandals.

In Scandinavia, because of the way in which they train children there is a much higher level of discipline and there is much less distinction between the rich and the poor, so people don’t feel so jealous.

What is the best thing that has happened to you in the past year?
My Inaugural Lecture as the first Professor of Early Childhood Studies in Ireland.

Are you a workaholic?
No

What do you do to chill out?
Go sailing

Are you married?
No, I’m widowed

Do you like living in Cork?
Yes, very much

What plans have you for the future?
To retire at the end of the Academic Year 2008-2009 and sail around Europe.

Have you a pet hate?
People who do not produce things when they say they will.

Have you a role model? 
Bernard Moitessier – the outstanding French, single handed sailor who is buried in Le Bono in Southern Brittany.

Have you a message for early childhood educators/carers?
To strive to improve the quality of their provision for young children by attending appropriate high level education and training courses in Early Childhood Education and Care. Research has shown that, all other things being equal, the higher the level of training, the higher the level of care.

Have you a message for parents?
To visit the crèche or pre-school for several hours before placing their child there. This will give them an idea as to whether the pre-school establishment is suitable for their child and whether the personnel will treat their child with respect.

Have you a message for policy makers?
The importance of realising that quality in Early Childhood Education and Care comes from the bottom up. It is no good having an inspector visit a pre-school establishment where the provider puts on a special performance for the inspector. What is needed is a genuine desire by those dealing directly with children to improve their skills, and visiting supervisors should see themselves in a supporting role.