Parent Supports

At The Montessori Story, we adopt an open minded and diverse approach to ensuring each child’s learning style is catered for and thus they are enabled to achieve their own unique potential. Our curriculum is based on the principles and philosophies of Maria Montessori, in conjunction with Aistear, The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework and Síolta, Ireland’s National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education. To learn a little more about Aistear & Síolta please read on...

Aistear

 

Aistear is the early childhood curriculum framework for children from birth up to the age of six years. Early childhood marks the beginning of children’s lifelong learning journeys. Ireland's early childhood curriculum framework is called Aistear (Irish word for journey). Aistear outlines the types of learning that are important for children during early childhood and provides practical ideas and suggestions as to how this learning may be nurtured. The Curriculum framework also provides guidelines on supporting children’s learning through play, interactions, assessment and partnerships with parents.

 

If you are interested in learning more about Aistear please click here

 

Síolta

 

Síolta, the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education, was developed by the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills. It was published in 2006. Síolta is designed to define, assess and support the improvement of quality across all aspects of practice in early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings where children aged from birth to six years are present.

 

Further information on Síolta can be found at: http://siolta.ie/

 

Children with Extra Needs

 

At The Montessori Story we strive to include children of all abilities and differing stages of development. We are happy to and encourage the involvement of assistants for those children who require specific help or need one-to-one attention, and have done so down through the years, working closely with Enable Ireland, and most recently with the new AIM (Access and Inclusion Model).

 

From our experience, the benefits children reap from early intervention are invaluable. As this is the starting point for most children in a formal educational setting outside of the home, it can often be the first time extra needs are identified. This may be the beginning of early intervention for a certain aspect of development – physical, intellectual, linguistic, social or emotional. As a parent this can be daunting. Should your child require extra help, we would like to reassure you that we do our best to provide you with as much support as possible, take the fear out of the unknown and focus on helping your child in the way he or she needs it most.

 

Information is key as it allows us to figure out the best approach to take in any given situation. It is for this reason that we may, after much parental involvement, discussion and permission, suggest a referral for an Assessment of Need with Enable Ireland or AIM. Each child is unique and will be treated accordingly. Please find information on AIM below.

 

Access and Inclusion Model (AIM)

 

The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a programme of supports designed to ensure that children with challenges and/or disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme in mainstream pre-school settings and can participate fully in the pre-school curriculum alongside their peers. AIM is a child centred model of supports, involving seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, based on the needs of the child and the pre-school setting. The model is designed to be responsive to the needs of each individual child in the context of their pre-school setting. It will offer tailored, practical supports based on need and will not require a formal diagnosis of disability.

 

For further information on AIM and its benefits please click here

School Readiness

 

Do you have a child starting pre-school or primary school in September ?

If you do, you may find these resources helpful. Included are some NPC resources which we have developed to support you and your child through the transition from their early years’ service to primary school.

 

Also below you will find a link to a Mo Scéal template, which has been developed for parents by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to fill in to share information with your child’s new pre-school or primary school. Mo Scéal means "My Story" in Irish.

 

If you have any questions about these resources or any aspects of your child’s pre-school or primary school education you can contact our parent Helpline by telephone Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm Tel: 01 8874477 or by email helpline@npc.ie

 

Who’s who in your child’s primary school: https://www.npc.ie/images/uploads/downloads/Whos_Who_144_x_301.pdf

 

Supporting your child’s transition from Pre-school to Primary School: https://www.npc.ie/images/uploads/downloads/HINTS__TIPS_8PP-am.pdf

 

Links to Mo Scéal templates in English:

Moving to Pre-School: http://bit.ly/MoScealPreSchool

Moving to Primary School: http://bit.ly/MoScealPrimarySchool

 

Links to Mo Scéal templates in Irish:

Ag aistriú ar an réamhscoil: http://bit.ly/MoScealReamhscoil

Ag aistriú go dtí an bhunscoil: http://bit.ly/MoScealBhunscoil

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