Síolta Principles

The 12 Síolta Principles

What is Síolta?

Síolta (Irish: 'seed') is the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education.

Síolta is built upon 12 Principles.

Síolta's 12 Principles are:

THE VALUE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD	Early childhood is a significant and distict time in life that must be nurtured, respected, valued and supported in its own right.
CHILDREN FIRST	The child's individuality, strengths, rights and needs are central in the provision of quality early childhood experiences.
PARENTS	Parents are the primary educators of the child and have a pre-eminent role in promoting her/his well-being, learning and development.
RELATIONSHIPS	Responsive, sensitive and reciprocal relationships, which are consistent over time, are essential to the well-being, learning and development of the young child.
EQUALITY	Equality is an essential characteristic of quality early childhood care and education.
DIVERSITY	Quality early childhood settings acknowledge and respect diversity and ensure that all children and families have their individual personal cultural and linguistic identity validated.
ENVIRONMENTS	The physical environment of the young child has a direct impact on her/his well-being, learning and development.
WELFARE	The safety, welfare and well-being of all children must be protected and promoted in all early childhood environments.
ROLE OF THE ADULT	The role of the adult in providing quality early childhood experiences is fundamental.
TEAMWORK	The provision of quality early childhood experiences requires cooperation, communication and mutual respect.
PEDAGOGY	Pedagogy in early childhood is expressed by curricula or programmes of activities which take a holistic approach to the development and learning of the child and reflect the inseparable nature of care and education.
PLAY	Play is central to the well-being, development and learning of the young child.