NCI Blog

Now this is amazing news to shout about: current Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) student, Naoise Howley, will represent Ireland at the World Lacrosse Women's Under 20 Championship in Hong Kong in August! In this interview, she shares her path to being selected for the team and her excitement at the opportunity ahead, along with insights into studying ECEC and advice for anyone considering their CAO choices.

Jimmy Ahmed (pictured far left) at the Finbarr Flood Scholarship Ceremony For many students who are making their CAO choices, one factor that helps rank college courses is the positive impact you could have on society as a graduate. Working in areas such as healthcare, sustainability, non-profit or education can be incredibly rewarding and it starts with the choices you make as you prepare to leave secondary school.

This is a guest blog post from the Early Learning Initiative at NCI which works to address the problem of educational underachievement in marginalised communities. Sensory play can be a valuable tool for children's development, but the mess it can create often worries parents. Fortunately, there are ways to enjoy the benefits of sensory play without wrecking your home. In this blog post, we'll explore the benefits of sensory play and provide activities that won't take all day to clean up.

Missed the CAO deadline or you're unhappy with your previous course choices? You still have a chance to attend NCI this September through the Available Places facility! Further information can be found on our Available Places hub.

As part of the Centre for Education and Lifelong Learning at National College of Ireland’s Festival of Education and Lifelong Learning, a practice-based early childhood education seminar took place. This event focused on the opportunity digital storytelling represents as a pedagogical tool in early childhood education and Reflective practice in ECEC Educator preparation. Part one of the seminar, which focused on digital storytelling, was facilitated by Dr Marianne Undheim, Associate Professor and Lecturer at the University of Stavanger, Norway.

National College of Ireland has extended its long-established and highly reputed BA (Honours) in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), from evening delivery to also being offered as a daytime course to CAO applicants.

Early Learning Initiative's gift guide puts a 'doctor set' at the top of the recommendation list Christmas is what you make of it. Even as we each negotiate our own path between what the Government is permitting us to do over the festive season and what we know to be the safest and healthiest care to take of our own families, in our own situations, we must remember that there is not one single ‘correct’ way to have a Happy Christmas. We can adapt to current times and still share comfort and joy.

Dr Josephine Bleach, Director of the Early Learning Initiative at National College of Ireland This year will bring a different Hallowe’en. Parties will not be possible in a time of social distancing, nor trick-or-treating sensible when the best health advice is to limit contact with unfamiliar households. However, children can still have a spook-tacular time!

On a normal working week, home visitors from Early Learning Initiative’s ParentChild+ programme bring the gift of playtime into homes across Dublin’s inner city by providing disadvantaged families with the educational materials they need to encourage their child’s early learning and development. Research tells us that a child born into poverty is more likely to start school without the basic knowledge and skills they need to keep up with their peers. One factor of future academic success is a positive and nurturing home-learning environment. By providing families with educational support early in the child’s life we can help to give that child the best possible start.

We asked Dr Josephine Bleach, Director of the Early Learning Initiative here at National College of Ireland, for some advice and tips for parents during this particularly challenging time.