Applications will open this week for the second intake onto the Leadership
for Inclusion (LINC) higher education programme for early years
practitioners which will commence this September. LINC, which was
established in 2016 , is a Level 6 Special Purpose Award designed to
support inclusion of children with a disability in free pre-school provided
under the Government’s Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme.
The LINC Programme is being delivered by a consortium, led by Mary
Immaculate College, Limerick together with Froebel Department of Primary
and Early Childhood Education, Maynooth University and Early Childhood
Ireland.
Minister Zappone welcomed the announcement of the second intake onto the
LINC Programme, noting that ‘the Programme is part of the Government’s
commitment to the provision of high quality education and training to
upskill the early years workforce. It is a key initiative under the Access
and Inclusion Model (AIM) designed to ensure that children with
disabilities can access and participate in the Early Childhood Care and
Education (ECCE) Programme to the fullest extent possible’.
The LINC Programme contains online and classroom based sessions in order to
ensure a flexible and quality learning experience, enabling early years’
practitioners in full-time employment to attend this important continuing
professional development (CPD) programme. According to Mr Fintan Breen,
LINC National Programme Coordinator ‘early years practitioners have engaged
enthusiastically with this Programme and feedback suggests that LINC is
having a positive and significant impact on practice within early years’
settings and on the inclusion of children with a disability’.
Last September, the first intake of 900 early years practitioners was
funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to undertake the
LINC Programme. From September 2017, graduates from this first intake will
perform a new leadership role of Inclusion Coordinator within their
pre-school setting. This will attract an increase of €2 per child per week
in the rate of ECCE capitation payable to that setting.
The application deadline for the LINC Programme is 27th April 2017 and
further information on how to apply can be found on www.lincprogramme.ie
ENDS//
NOTE TO EDITORS
The Access Inclusion Model (AIM)
The goal of AIM is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive
pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can fully
participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme and
reap the benefits of quality early years care and education. AIM is a
child-centred model, involving seven levels of progressive support, moving
from the universal to the targeted, based on the needs of the child and the
pre-school provider. More than 1,800 children have benefitted from one or
more of the 2,830 targeted supports provided to date.
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Levels 1-3 provide universal support to create a culture of inclusion
within pre-school settings, by providing training and information for
pre-school providers and parents.
§ Level 1 works to foster an inclusive culture. In 2016, the Minister
published a new Inclusion Charter for the pre-school sector,
alongside updated and strengthened Diversity, Equality and Inclusion
Guidelines for Early Childhood Care and Education. Training on these
Guidelines is now being rolled out nationally.
§ Under Level 2, information is made available to parents and
pre-school providers about AIM. The website www.aim.gov.ie contains
comprehensive information on the model and on how to apply for
supports. The website also contains the new Inclusion Charter and
Guidelines, as well as a range of other resources.
§ Level 3 works to support a Qualified and Confident Workforce. In
September, a first intake of 900 staff from pre-school settings was
funded by DCYA to undertake Leadership for Inclusion (LINC), a Level
6 Special Purpose Award. From September 2017, programme graduates
will perform a new leadership role of Inclusion Co-ordinator within
their pre-school setting. This will attract an increase of €2 per
child per week in the rate of ECCE capitation payable to that
setting.
All targeted elements (Levels 4-7) of the AIM are operational.
§ Level 4 provides Expert Early Years Educational Advice and Support.
This service is available to pre-school providers and is based within
the Better Start Early Years Inclusion Specialist Service (EYISS). To
date, the team of 50 specialists (in early years care and education
for children with disabilities) has completed 4,337 visits providing
advice and guidance. To further support this work, 18 additional
posts have been advertised.
§ Under Level 5 (Equipment and Minor Alterations), 136 applications for
equipment have been approved, as well as 19 applications for minor
alterations grants.
§ Level 6 provides Therapeutic Intervention for children who need it:
Referrals are made to the HSE by the Early Years Inclusion Specialist
Service (EYISS).
§ Level 7 provides Additional Assistance in the Pre-school Room and 885
applications have been approved to date. In line with emerging best
practice to support the integration and independence of children with
a disability, AIM does not fund Special Needs Assistants (SNAs).
Rather, it provides financial support to the pre-school provider,
which can be used either to reduce the adult to child ratio in the
pre-school room or to buy in additional assistance to the pre-school
room. Accordingly, Level 7 assistance is a shared resource for the
pre-school setting and is paid at two rates: a Higher Capitation
Level is paid at a rate of €39 per day and covers 3 hours of staff
time; a Lower Capitation Level is paid at a rate of €26 per day and
covers 2 hours of staff time enabling the child/ children to attend
for 3 hours. It is estimated that pre-school providers may need Level
7 assistance for approx. 1 to 1.5% of all children or those children
with very advanced, complex needs.