National Childrens Nurseries Association - Advisory & Policy Team

Welcome to the NCNA Advisory Team page

The NCNA is a National Voluntary Childcare Organisation (NVCO), funded by the OMCYA primarily to promote quality in early childhood care and education services. NCNA fulfil this function through it’s varies departments, one of these being the Advisory Team department.

The structure of the NCNA advisory team is as follows-

- National Childcare policy Advisor.

- Two Team Leaders.

- One Communications Officer.

- Three Regional Support Workers.

The National Childcare Policy Advisor advises NCNA board, staff and NCNA members on national and international policy issues. The Policy Advisor manages the Advisory Team. Two Team Leaders, work as Regional Support Workers and both presently manage two staff members. The Communications Officer based in the NCNA office is a direct contact linking childcare providers and the Advisory Team. The Regional Support Workers are regionally based and provide support to NCNA members in their regions.

Advise and support from the NCNA Advisory Team is available through phone support, email support and through on site visits to NCNA members.

The NCNA Advisory Team also offer advice and support through professional development training available free of charge to NCNA members, through cluster group meetings, which are facilitated by the advisory team regionally.

Each Regional Support Worker works in collaboration with County Childcare Committees and links with other stakeholders regionally and nationally.

Five of the NCNA Advisory Team staff are Siolta Coordinators having completed the Siolta Coordinators induction training in November 09.

Four of the Siolta Coordinators will facilitate the roll out of the Siolta programme in 2010 in,

- Roscommon

- Waterford County.

- Dublin1.

- Tallaght West.

All of the work of the NCNA Advisory Team is guided by the principles of both Siolta and Aistear the two national practice frameworks.

The role of the NCNA Advisory Team is to advise and support NCNA members on the provision of a quality service; we are here to assist you. The NCNA Advisory Team members have both academic qualifications and experience of working in the sector in all service types. The commitment of the Advisory Team and the board of NCNA to the professional development of the Advisory Team, highlights our desire to provide to you, the childcare provider the most up to date advice and support. Please do not hesitate to contact us, if we are unable to give you direct advice, we will guide you on the right path. We look forward to hearing from you, to support and advise you in ensuring that children attending NCNA nurseries are receiving quality early childhood care and education experiences.

Team Members

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  Siolta & Aistear

  Siolta is the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education. Síolta has a number of key characteristics, which are of importance in gaining an understanding of how the Framework operates. These characteristics ensure that the vision of the Framework can be realised and have the maximum beneficial outcomes for all ECCE stakeholder. Aistear is the new curriculum framework for all children from birth to six years. It can be used in childminding settings, sessional services, full and part-time daycare settings, infant classes in primary schools, children’s own homes.

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