Raising Confident Learners

Early Leaning Initiative is a research-based intervention service for thousands of children aged 4-7 that encourages and models early learning in the home. Support from The Ireland Funds has helped expand the program across the country.

Grants from The Ireland Funds are:

  • Promoting research-based intervention service for children aged 4-7
  • Enabling weekly/bi-weekly home visits to high-need families 
  • Bringing children’s books and learning toys into the home
  • Providing core support for continuing the successful Parent-Child Home Programme

With support from The Ireland Funds, our Parent Child Home Program (PCHP), an innovative, home based literacy and parenting program, has helped hundreds of parents develop the confidence and skills to support their children’s language, literacy and numeracy development.

— Dr. Josephine Bleach, Director, The Early Learning Initiative

Isabelle curls into her mum’s lap, eyes wide as The Very Hungry Caterpillar book carries her through its colorful journey. Beside them sits Jilyn, a Home Visitor from the National College of Ireland’s Early Learning Initiative (ELI), part of the Parent-Child Home Programme. She visits twice a week, bringing books, play, and encouragement into the home.

What may feel like an hour of play for Isabelle is something more: Jilyn’s visit is part of an innovative program that helps change the trajectory of children’s lives by promoting early learning in the home.  Research across multiple countries shows that this kind of supportive engagement at a young age can make a lasting difference—strengthening confidence, curiosity, and readiness for school.

Working with families in communities across Dublin, including the Docklands, ELI has built a strong record of supporting children’s development, with 83% of participants reaching key milestones during the program. Each family receives around 48 visits a year, creating space for trust to grow.

For Isabelle, the caterpillar’s transformation is a story of growth. With support from The Ireland Funds, ELI helps nurture that same sense of possibility in every child.