Abbreviations and acronyms

AIM

Access and Inclusion Model

Aistear

Curriculum framework

Better Start QDS

Better Start Quality Development Service

CBR

Country Background Report

CCC

City and County Childcare Committee

CCSP

Community Childcare Subvention Plus programme

COVID-19

Coronavirus disease

DCYA

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

DCEDIY

Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

DE

Department of Education

DE Inspectorate

Department of Education Inspectorate

EC

European Commission

ECEC

Early Childhood Education and Care

ECCE

Early Childhood Care and Education (A universal state-funded programme providing two years of free pre-school for children, not to be confused with ECEC)

ELC

Early Learning and Care (national term used to refer to early childhood education and care in Ireland)

EU

European Union

FET

Further Education and Training

First 5

Ireland’s Whole-of-government ten-year strategy for babies, young children and their families

GDP

Gross Domestic Product

IBEC

Irish Business and Employers Confederation

ICT

Information and Communications Technology

INCO

Inclusion Co-ordinator

ISCED

International Standard Classification of Education

JLC

Joint Labour Committee

LINC

Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years

NCCA

National Council for Curriculum and Assessment

NCS

National Childcare Scheme

NFQ

National Framework of Qualifications

NSAI

National Síolta Aistear Initiative

NVCO

National Voluntary Childcare Organisation

OSAG

Operations and Systems Alignment Group

PACG

Professional Awards Criteria and Guidelines

PATD

Professional Awards Type Descriptors

Pobal

An organisation working on behalf of the Irish government to support communities and local agencies toward achieving social inclusion and development

PPP

Purchasing Power Parity

QAB

Qualifications Advisory Board

QAP

Quality Assurance Programme

QFEYEI

Quality Framework for Early Years Education Inspection

QRF

Tusla Quality and Regulatory Framework

QQI

Quality and Qualifications Ireland

RPL

Recognition of Prior Learning

SAC

School Age Childcare

Síolta

National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education

SIPTU

Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union

SOLAS

Further Education and Training Authority

STEM

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

TALIS

Teaching and Learning International Survey

Tusla

Child and Family Agency (provides services to support child and family protection and welfare)

Tusla EYI

Tusla Early Years Inspectorate

Tusla QRF

Tusla Quality and Regulatory Framework