A public good approach: Learning from Ireland’s early childhood education and childcare reform

In the last ten years the Irish government, in close collaboration with a range of ECEC stakeholders, has been engaged in an exciting and ambitious change programme to create a universal ECEC system characterised by high quality, availability, accessibility, and sustainability. To further this agenda, the government is taking a more prominent public management and public funding role, forging a transformed partnership with ECEC providers. Change accelerated from 2019 onwards after the publication of a whole-of-government strategy, First5. This strategy reflected a commitment across government, with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth taking a leading role.

This brief’s focus, written by Professor Eva Lloyd OBE, is on the development and implementation of Ireland’s new funding model. It also describes how successive governments in Ireland worked with external partners, including academics, sector experts, unions, parent groups and voluntary sector associations to develop and implement these fundamental reforms. Although there is not a direct read across the two countries, the paper aims to offer opportunities for learning to enrich discussions about routes to reform in England.