Book of Abstracts
The Book of Abstracts for the National Early Childhood Conference 2026 is available here: Book of Abstracts
Conference programme
|
9am |
Arrival and Registration Poster Presentations: M3&4 |
|
10am |
Welcome address: Dr Maja Haals Brosnan Location: Edmund Hall |
|
10:15am |
Keynote: Dr Kristín Dýrfjörð Location: Edmund Hall |
|
11am |
Parallel Session One Location: Various locations. Please see below. |
|
12:15pm |
Lunch: Available in M3&4. Seating available in the Arbutus room. Poster Presentations: M3&4 |
|
1pm |
Parallel Session Two Location: Various locations. Please see below. |
|
2:30pm |
Keynote: Professor Nóirín Hayes Location: Edmund Hall |
|
3:15pm |
Panel Discussion: Eimear Carron, Professor Nóirín Hayes, Máire Mhic Mhathúna and Amanda Beck Location: Edmund Hall |
|
3:50pm |
Closing Address: Dr Maja Haals Brosnan Slán agus beannacht |
Parallel Session 1: 11.00-12.15
|
Research Presentations |
||||
|
Outdoor Pedagogy |
Professional identity |
Children’s voices and experiences |
Inclusive and trauma informed education |
Changing practice |
|
Chair: Joan Kiely |
Chair: Tasha O’Donnell |
Chair: Sorcha Browne |
Chair: Susan Nic Réamoinn |
Chair: Rhona Stallard |
|
Room: M202 |
Room: M229 |
Room: East Park |
Room: M12 |
Room: Edmund Hall |
|
Orla Doyle Slow relational pedagogy in the outdoors |
Diaga Marini Educators' perspectives on professional identity in Irish ECEC |
Michelle Lehane Child agency in practice: exploring the voice and influence of children in the ECCE preschool programme |
Holly Lewis The philosophy of integration in ECEC |
Sandra O’Neill and Lorraine Farrell Continuing the Journey; How the National Síolta Aistear Initiative supports engagement with the updated Aistear |
|
Clair James Slow and Sustainable: An Early Childhood Outdoor Pedagogy |
Tasha O’Donnell, Maja Haals Brosnan and Eileen Keane Untold Stories: Exploring the professional identity of female ECE pioneers in Ireland. |
Kate Lyon and Jessica McDonnell Teaching children’s rights in ECEC |
Annie Cummins and Judith Butler It’s Because We Care: Mattering, Care, and Trauma Sensitive Practice in Early Childhood Education and Care |
Sandra O’Neill ‘Why don’t we just ask them?’ Consulting with the early childhood sector to update the Aistear and Play programme. |
|
Ethan Cosgrove, Jason Flaherty and Sharon Skehill ECE educators' perspectives on the value and impact of prepared outdoor environments |
Máire Uí Mhurchú, Martina Osborne and Samantha Hallows Untold Stories: The voices of female ECE pioneers in Ireland. |
Chloe Hurley Exploring Gender Identity in Early Childhood: Young Children’s Understandings of Gender in Early Childhood Care and Education |
Paolo Bertuletti Processes of belonging for children with a migratory background in Italian ECEC |
Rhona Stallard, Tasha O’Donnell and Maja Haals Brosnan Inclusive and Sustainable Post-Covid Pedagogy (InSCoPe) |
|
Practice Meet |
|
Workshops
|
|
|
Chair: Clara Fiorentini |
Facilitator: Sinead Leigh |
Facilitator: Rachel Redmond |
|
|
Room: M200 |
Room: Art Room |
Room: M201 |
|
|
Kerrie Ann Boyce The Power of the Ordinary Moment: Rethinking Outdoor Spaces as Sites of Inquiry |
Play Therapy as Pedagogical Practice: Experiencing Therapeutic Play Through Partnership
|
Sustainability in Action: Realising Aistear 2024 through Creative Everyday Practice |
|
|
Amanda Beck Inside This Door |
|||
|
Ashling Sheehan Boyle Have you P.L.A.Y.E.D. today? |
|||
|
Colette Saunders A sustainability mindset, where does it all start? |
|||
|
Clara Fiorentini Pat-a-Cake to Page: How Nursery Rhymes Build Early Literacy
|
|||
Parallel Session 2: 13.00-14.30
|
Research Presentations |
|
|
Literacy and preschool-primary connections |
STEM and sustainability |
|
Chair: Joan Kiely |
Chair: Sorcha Browne |
|
Room: M202 |
Room: East Park |
|
Alison Nulty
Professional Learning at the Preschool-Primary Boundary to Support Continuity and Progression in Vocabulary Learning Across the Transition to Primary School |
Nicola O’Reilly
“You’re in the lava! You’re gonna die!” – Science and Maths learning during sociodramatic co-play in Early Childhood settings |
|
Maureen Colleran
An exploration of top-down perceptions garnered from government-produced documents on literacy in the Republic of Ireland. |
Paula Walshe
‘STEAM from the Start’: Proposing a Conceptual Framework for the Development and Implementation of a STEAM Training Intervention for Early Childhood Educators |
|
Kathryn O’Riordan and Frances Campbell
Children’s Participation in Community -Strengthening the links between ECEC settings and local libraries |
Weiyi Lui, Cathy Steeson and Lana Cummins
Supporting early numeracy development through collaborative partnership between homes, early years services and schools |
|
Caoimhe Dempsey, Sarah Foley and Claire Hughes
Similarities in Mother’ and Fathers’ Toddler Interactions and Links with School Readiness |
Annie Cummins and Muireann Ranta
Building Sustainable Futures: Embedding Education for Sustainability (EfS) in Early Childhood Education and Care |
|
Short Workshops (45 minutes) |
|
|
Workshop 1: 13.00-13.45 |
|
|
Facilitator: Fintan McCutcheon |
Facilitator: Máire Uí Mhurchú |
|
Room: M200 |
Room: M229
|
|
Normal All Along - Story based discussion
|
Introducing Gaeilge Through Movement, Song and Dance
|
|
Workshop 2: 13.45-14.30 |
|
|
Facilitator: Samantha Hallows |
Facilitator: Florence Ajala |
|
Room: M200 |
Room: M229
|
|
Intergenerational storytelling |
Enhancing Support and Engagement of Immigrant Parents in Early Childhood Education in Ireland |
|
Long Workshops (1.5 hours) 13.00-14.30 |
||
|
Facilitators: Lorraine Farrell and Mary Daly |
Facilitator: Sharon Skehill and Donna Carolan |
Facilitator: Colette Saunders
|
|
Edmund Hall |
M201 |
Art Room |
|
Bringing Aistear’s image of the baby, toddler and young child to life in practice |
Aistear’s Reflective Cycle of Planning and Assessing |
Stories as a tool to engage young children in learning about global issues
|
Poster Presentations
|
Location M3&4 |
|
|
Butler, Chloe
|
Exploring the links between children's outdoor play and well-being in Early Childhood Education
|
|
Hume, Emma
|
Co- Developing the Shamrock Model: Advancing a Trauma- Sensitive Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care
|
|
Martin, Amy
|
How primary school teachers respond to child grief in the classroom
|
|
Sukenikova, Alexandra
|
Educator’s Use of a Transition Observation Tool to Support Children’s Experiences of Entering an Early Years Setting
|
|
Welch, Alison
|
Babies, Toddlers, and Young Children’s Transitions in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) at a Residential Therapeutic Centre for Mothers in Recovery from Drug and Alcohol Addiction
|