merrion street

Procurement for the provision of Services to Measure and Assess the Quality
of Early Years Provision in Ireland

Wednesday 5th April, 2017

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone TD, today
announced that a request for tenders for the provision of services to
measure and assess the quality of early years provision in Ireland will be
issued later this evening.

An assessment of the quality of early years provision in an Irish context
was first recommended in the 2013 'Right from the Start: The Report of the
Expert Advisory Group on the Early Years Strategy'. By using
internationally recognised assessment tools, the Expert Advisory Group
noted this should 'inform implementation priorities for the Early Years
Strategy and provide a baseline for subsequent assessment of the impact of
quality raising measures adopted by the Strategy’.

In July 2015, the Report of the Inter-Departmental Group on Future
Investment also included among its recommendations that such an assessment
of quality be undertaken on a triennial basis 'to benchmark progress and to
ensure that, over time, the impact of improved quality provision on
outcomes for children can be assessed'.

Minister Zappone secured funding to conduct this assessment of quality in
Budget 2016. The key objectives of the study are to:

§ develop and pilot a measurement instrument(s) to assess the
quality of early years provision in the Irish context;
§ undertake a baseline assessment of quality in a representative
sample of registered early years settings in Ireland and;
§ provide a baseline for subsequent assessment of the impact of
quality raising measures in the childcare sector.

Announcing the commencement of this renewed focus on measuring and
assessing the quality of early years provision, Minister Zappone said “I am
delighted to be able to announce this pioneering enterprise; I believe the
ability to measure and assess the quality of early years provision in
Ireland will prove a landmark step forward in the quality agenda as we
strive to develop greater access to affordable, high quality childcare for
parents.. This work will not only provide my Department with an evidence
base that will inform future policy decisions; work which is fundamental
in realising the best outcomes for children in early years; it will also
assist in our journey to professionalise the invaluable work of the
sector.”

The ‘Request for Tender for the provision of Services to Measure and Assess
the Quality of Early Years Provision in Ireland’ can be located on
www.etenders.gov.ie. The closing date for responses to the tender through
www.etenders.gov.ie is May 29th, 2017 at 5 p.m. It is anticipated that
the Study, comprising instrument development and data analysis phases,
will commence in September 2017, and take approximately two years.