NCI Blog

Tummy time is essential for your baby’s development. But why, and what exactly is it? Our 0-2 Years Programme Coordinator Marion Byrne, from NCI’s Early Learning Initiative, has some tips for parents for getting your little one comfy on his or her tum! What is tummy time? Quite simply, this is when you place your baby on their stomach on a firm flat surface, such as a blanket or mat on the floor.

An Irish education programme that has been proven to help close the educational divide between richer and poorer families - the only one of its kind outside of the USA – is set to expand, thanks to support from Ireland’s investment fund industry.

Want to know more about the great work done by NCI’s Early Learning Initiative in the Docklands and beyond? Check out today’s Irish Times! Congratulations to the hard-working team from NCI’s Early Learning Initiative, pictured above, who have been featured in the Irish Times this week.

    

Poor numeracy is a national issue, and one which seriously affects life chances. Research reveals enormous differences in the maths skills of children when they first start school, and indicates that it is very difficult to close the gap.

Dr Josephine Bleach, director of the Early Learning Initiative at National College of Ireland says parents can help to improve a child's academic performance by taking the following simple steps :

This week, National College of Ireland has proudly displayed an exhibition of artwork created by local school children from the Dublin Docklands – and their parents – as part of the Zoom Ahead with Books exhibition, run by the college’s Early Learning Initiative.

Pictured: the ELI Easter Event held at CHQ Dublin last week 

Dr Josephine Bleach, Director of NCI’s Early Learning Initiative, has some tips for making learning fun and family-friendly! Weekends are precious, but can fly by all too quickly. Make the most of yours by planning a fun-filled family weekend, creating memories, doing things you enjoy and helping the kids to learn. My top three things for having fun and learning together as a family this weekend are:

Yesterday was a big day for us at the college. The Early Learning Initiative (ELI) at NCI is close to all of our hearts because of its work with children and families from our local community in the Dublin Docklands. These programmes generally start from age 18 but we believe that to be effective, you have to start when a person is 18 months, not 18 years. By just three years of age, there are already significant differences in the language and mathematical development of children from affluent areas and those from disadvantaged communities. The gap continues to widen if it is not addressed before children start formal education – which is why our early years’ work is so very important for tackling educational disadvantage.