title: A whole-child perspective assessment guide for early years settings.
abstract: This paper describes the development of a national assessment guide to assist the Irish Pre-School Inspectorate in evaluating support for child development in early childhood care and education settings. The development arose as a direct result of changes to the regulations governing pre-school childcare provision in Ireland. Revised regulations, published in 2006, built on previous regulations and made explicit the whole-child perspective within them. This places an important and overt focus on support for children's development within the inspection process, and is based on a socio-ecological understanding of children's lives. Using a collaborative approach with the Pre-School Inspectorate, an assessment guide was developed to enhance practitioners' understanding of the whole-child perspective element of the revised regulations, and to ensure consistency in the inspection process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Children, Ireland.
authors.forename: Sinéad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hanafin
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: McDonnell
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rouine
authors.forename: Imelda
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Coyne
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007494:Ireland; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation