WHO’S WHO introduces people who are making an important contribution to education in Ireland today.

NAME:  Maresa Duignan
OCCUPATION: Early Years Education Specialist at the Early Years Education Policy Unit, Department of Education and Science.

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Where are you from?
I was born in Derry City.

What is your earliest childhood memory?
I have many happy memories of my early childhood, usually involving playing outdoors or being part of family occasions.

How many siblings have you?
I have three sisters and one brother.

Where did you go to school/college?
I attended Thornhill Grammar School in Derry and did my first degree in Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast.

Were there teachers/lecturers who had a particular influence on you?
Yes indeed, I am privileged to have been taught by several outstanding teachers who all had an inspiring passion and enthusiasm for learning in common.

What attracted you to Early Childhood Education?
From a young age my father involved me in voluntary work with St. Vincent de Paul. Through this, I developed a particular interest in working with young children, especially those with disabilities. I love the huge positive energy and capacity for persistence that young children possess. Even in the face of seemingly insurmountable tasks they rarely give up – that’s inspirational!

How did you arrive at your current position?
I suppose the easy answer is through hard work and persistence! I have had a very varied career since I graduated from University in the eighties and much of my early experience in the early years’ sector was gained through voluntary work. This was primarily due to the fact that my full time job in the media industry was better paid than working in early years’ services and, with a growing family and difficult economic times, financial imperatives won out.

During all this time, however, I was also studying in the evenings for additional qualifications in early childhood care and education and I achieved my Master’s degree in 2003. I am a firm believer in lifelong learning and, as testimony to this, I hope to complete my doctoral thesis in the near future.

Eventually I was able to realise my ambition to work directly with young children and in the mid 1990’s I worked part time at St. Michael’s House, supporting a three year old with severe and profound disabilities to attend the local preschool. I then had the opportunity to run my own preschool, which I did until my youngest daughter was born. I was also a volunteer board member of the National Children’s Nurseries Association at this time and this gave me insight into the many challenges faced by a broad range of early year’s service providers. I consider this direct work with children and their families to be the most valuable experience I have gained to date and I have always drawn on it to ground my subsequent work in practice.

Over the years I have been fortunate to have been centrally involved in many ground-breaking policy and practice initiatives that have allowed me to observe and learn from expert colleagues in the early childhood care and education sector. Prior to my appointment in the Early Years Education Policy Unit, I was Assistant Director of the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE). Before that, I worked with the OMNA Early Years Training Project. Both of these organisations produced important research, policy and practice materials such as Síolta, the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and the Model Framework for Education, Training and Professional Development in Early Childhood Care and Education.

At times my journey to this point has been frustrating and challenging. It often seemed that the message about the importance of investing significantly to ensure that early childhood experiences were positive and enriching was one that few were interested in. However – as we learn from young children – persistence pays off and I am very thankful that I have now the opportunity to be part of a new future where government has made a serious commitment to achieving this important goal.

Do you welcome the free pre-school year for all children?
As you can probably gather from my previous response, I wholeheartedly welcome this important initiative which represents a major shift in government policy regarding the provision of early childhood education.

An extensive body of research supports the fact that early childhood is an important time in human development where the foundations for success in all aspects of life can be reinforced. Attendance at a high quality preschool can enhance and enrich children’s early childhood experiences. Over the past decade, many countries have responded to this fact by providing all children with a free preschool experience prior to starting primary school.

Ireland has now joined the ranks of these farsighted countries and whilst it will certainly be a challenge to us all to implement this policy initiative, I am very excited at the positive step forward it represents.

What does a typical workday involve for you?
It usually involves writing in some form or another – it may be preparing briefing material on some aspect of early childhood care and education, authoring or editing specific reports or dealing with the development of information materials for the wide range of audiences interested in early childhood care and education both national and international.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
I really enjoy being able to meet people who are passionate about the importance of early childhood and thankfully that happens more and more frequently nowadays. I also enjoy that I am able to access the latest developments in national and international research, policy and practice and have the opportunity to share that information directly with those in a position to make decisions about the direction of policy and practice in early years services.

What do you like least about your work?
I have to say that there is very little that I dislike about my job at the moment. I suppose my main gripe is that there never seems to be enough time to go out and meet people at various events as there is just too much to be done in the Early Years Education Policy Unit.

What would you most like to change?
It may sound idealistic but I really want to see a society in Ireland where every child is fully supported to achieve their potential. This requires that every member of our society realises that, directly or indirectly, we all influence the lives that all our children live every day. If we fully understood this, we would I believe make conscious choices to ensure that we are positive role models for our children in all aspects of life. Learning does not just happen in schools, and it is not just the celebrities that children look to for example. It is in fact more likely that children will learn how to behave in society from the adults that they meet every day. I believe that change is a personal choice that we all have the power to make. The benefits, however, of being a positive role model for children will impact, not just on ourselves, but on all of society.

Are you a workaholic?
Not at all, I believe that it is important to make sure that life is lived to the full and this cannot be done if you prioritise one aspect of life over another.

What do you do to chill out?
I spend time with family and friends and laugh as much as possible.

Do you like living in Dublin?
I don’t really feel as if I live in Dublin as I live in a small village on the outskirts of Dublin that has a very strong community identity. However, I do enjoy the benefits of having the amenities of our cosmopolitan capital city on my doorstep.

What plans have you for the future?
The immediate future involves finishing my doctoral thesis, supporting my daughter through the Leaving Certificate and those big life choices that accompany this experience, and hopefully getting together with extended family over the summer.

Have you a pet hate?
Negativity and passive aggressive behaviour.

Have you a role model?
I have met many inspiring people in my life but none have been more influential or enduring role models than my parents.

Have you a message for parents of pre-schoolers?
Enjoy them! 

Have you a message for pre-school providers?
I truly believe that this new preschool policy initiative should be grasped as the opportunity we have all be waiting for to highlight the important work that is done by those who provide early childhood care and education services. Undoubtedly it will present many challenges but I hope that our tradition of working together will allow us to meet each challenge in a positive way.