Published on 

Minister Zappone announces pilot initiative of arts bursaries for early years services

Pilot initiative will be delivered through four arts and cultural organisations working with Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare services

This investment in arts and culture is a pilot initiative of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) under Creative Ireland, in collaboration with the Arts Council

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone, is delighted to announce a number of arts bursaries that will be delivered through four arts and cultural organisations working with Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare services.  

The projects, which were chosen through a competitive tendering process, are:

  • ReCreate will provide free access to their arts and crafts supplies service for 175 School Age Childcare Services across the country.
  • The Ark Cultural Centre for Children will provide three, two month long, artist in residencies in Early Learning and Care services.
  • Graffiti Theatre will connect artists with 9 settings for children under 3 years old.
  • Children’s Books Ireland will engage with 50 Early Learning and Care services, providing them with books and resources to encourage reading and play.

Announcing the bursaries at an Early Years Forum today, Minister Zappone said:

Through this pilot programme of bursaries, a number of Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare settings will be able to access age-appropriate arts and cultural experiences for the children they serve.  The process itself, and the experience of the services and of the children, will be evaluated and the learning will be shared.  I look forward to hearing about their experiences.

Notes for Editors:

This investment in arts and culture is a pilot initiative of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) under Creative Ireland, in collaboration with the Arts Council.  

Creative Ireland, the five-year initiative of the Government of Ireland from 2017 to 2022, places creativity at the centre of public policy.  

The DCYA has committed to two actions under the Creative Youth section of the initiative.  

The first of these actions is the development of a pilot bursary for Early Learning and Care and School Age Services, which will be evaluated on its completion.  

A second action, involving development of principles for working with young children and the arts in early years settings, will be completed in 2020.