Aistear in our setting  

At FDCL which caters for children aged 12months to 12 years, we follow Aistear which is The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework to guide children’s learning and development during their early years, while also drawing on its principles to support older children in our care.  

What is AISTEAR 

Aistear — meaning “journey” in Irish — recognises that every child is unique and learns through rich, meaningful experiences. It is made up of two main parts: 

1. The Principles and Themes 

1. Guidelines for Good Practice 

Additional key resources include the User Guide and Key Messages from the Research Papers, all of which work together to support high-quality learning in early childhood settings. 

The principles & Themes  

Aistear is underpinned by 12 key principles, grouped into three categories that are essential to a child’s early learning: 

• Children and their lives in early childhood  

• The child’s uniqueness 

• Equality and diversity  

• Children as citizens  

• Childrens connections with others  

• Relationships  

• Parents, family and community  

• The adult’s role  

• How children learn and develop  

• Holistic learning and development  

• Active learning  

• Play and hands-on experiences 

• Relevant and meaningful experiences  

• Communication and language  

• The learning environment  

These principles guide how we plan, interact and support children across all areas of development.  

 

 

The four themes of Aistear  

Early learning and development is framed around four interconnected themes, which move away from the traditional subject-based view of development. Instead, Aistear promotes a holistic approach, focusing on the child as a capable and active learner: 

• Well-being – supporting children’s happiness, confidence and physical/emotional well being  

• Identity and belonging – helping children feel valued, included and connected 

• Communicating – developing language, expression, listening and understanding  

• Exploring and thinking – encouraging curiosity, creativity and problem solving 

Each theme includes four aims, further divided into six learning goals, providing clear guidance on what children should experience and achieve. 

The framework also includes sample learning opportunities across three broad age groups: babies, toddlers, and young children. In our setting, we use these as inspiration to create age-appropriate activities for children from 1 through to 6 years, and continue using Aistear’s principles to support older children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development 

Aistear in practice at our centre  

In our daily routines and play based activities, Aistear helps us ensure that every child is supported in a way that is developmentally appropriate, inclusive and meaningful. For older children, especially those in afterschool care, we continue to promote weel-being, communication and active exploration through age-relevant projects, play and group experiences.  

We also work closely with families to strengthen the connection between home and our centre. Aistear recognises the role of parents and guardians as primary educators, and we value their input in each child’s learning journey. 

To learn more about Aistear, you can visit the official NCCA website at www.ncca.ie/en/early-childhood/aistear