An analysis of the current trends and potential future development in training for the management and delivery of quality childcare services.
Summary
This project will research training currently available, in the management and delivery of a quality childcare service. It will include both experiential based and academic training. This will also examine and compare type, duration method of delivery, cost, accrediting agency and qualification gained.
The Research Team
Ms. Margaret Gilmore Principal Supervisor Department of Business & Humanities, IT, Sligo. Ms. Rosaleen Rushe Supervisor Department of Business & Humanities, IT Sligo. Dr. Perry Share Project Consultant Department of Business & Humanities, IT, Sligo. Ms. Fina Golden Research Student Department of Business & Humanities, IT, Sligo.
Project Details
Primary research will involve interviewing a broad spectrum of people involved in childcare who are in a position to develop and implement policy and will include people employed by childcare organisations, staff attached to academic institutions and other statutory bodies. It will include people working in the area of training research and delivery.
Questionnaires will be distributed to staff working in a range of childcare services. This will also include staff working directly with children at all levels, e.g. managers, supervisors and assistants. Views of those involved at a project management level, e.g. the Management Committee both voluntary and statutory will also be sought. The main purpose of this will be to document the current level of training accessed by childcare workers to date and to examine any trends or patterns in the uptake of training available, affordability, accessibility and method of delivery.
People and agencies involved in designing and delivering training will also be include in this research. The main purpose of this will be to ascertain from people directly involved in the delivery of childcare services how they design a training programme and what factors influence the delivery of the training. This research will be conducted through questionnaires and telephone interviews. It will explore how training agencies research and analyse training needs of childcare workers and how they respond to this information. It will look at how these agencies mould the delivery of training to best the meet needs of the target group.
As this programme of research develops it may be necessary to review, evaluate and change some of the above mentioned research methods.
In the recent past there have been some noteworthy developments in the area of professionalism and the standardising of qualifications gained. Many of these developments are being led at a national level and are influenced by Government policy. The recently published ‘Model framework for Education Training and Professional Development in the Early Childhood Care and Education Sector will be used as a guide by which to measure and analyse findings. As its title indicates this is a framework document and will be further developed in the future. A comparison with directives from the European Commission will also be made.
Any observations on this research project are welcomed by the research student, Fina Golden.