| President McAleese Launches 'Preparing for Life' |
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This five year programme follows on from research carried out by the Northside Partnership in 2004 in the Darndale, Belcamp and Moatview areas which revealed that out of 96 children surveyed, approximately half were not ready for school when they entered the educational environment.
Preparing for Life will work with 200 families in the Moatview, Belcamp, Newtown Court and Darndale areas including the Travelling Community over the next five years. Participation is voluntary and we are open to any parents expecting a child regardless of family circumstances. The Atlantic Philanthropies and Office of the Minister for Children have provided funding for the programme.
Commenting at the launch today Noel Kelly, Project Manager of Preparing for Life, underlined his gratitude to the community, the local agencies, UCD's Geary Institute, Atlantic Philanthropies and the Office of the Minister for Children for all their work in coming together to create a winning formula for the benefit of the community - in particular the children.
"Preparing for Life will provide a fundamental insight into the services needed during these key formative years. This stage is an important time in the development of a child and it is important that they are both physically and mentally prepared for entering the school system. Preparing for Life aims to help parents do the best that they can for their children. We hope that this programme will make it easier for parents to bring up healthy, happy children, who are better prepared for school."
ENDS
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it - Preparing for Life 01- 8771509 About The Atlantic Philanthropies
The Atlantic Philanthropies are dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Atlantic focuses on four critical social problems: Ageing, Disadvantaged Children & Youth, Population Health, and Reconciliation & Human Rights. Programmes funded by Atlantic operate in Australia, Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam. To learn more, please visit: http://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/. |
A unique early intervention programme which provides services to support parents to ensure that a child is ready for school on a social and emotional level was launched on Friday 9th May by President Mary McAleese at the Darndale and Belcamp Village Centre. Co-ordinated by the Northside Partnership, the Preparing for Life programme aims to assist parents by offering them additional support during their child's formative years.