Westmeath's generous funding to National Pyjama Day
Almost €7,500 was raised by 23 providers of early childhood services in Westmeath towards National Pyjama Day 2022, which raised the whopping total of €349,222.
All of the Westmeath early childhood providers who took part in the fundraising campaign last November are members of Early Childhood Ireland, which has been organising an annual fundraiser for the past 19 years.
Last year's fundraiser was the largest one-day fundraising event organised by the Early Years and School Age Care sector in Ireland, with over 60,000 enthusiastic children and their educators being sponsored to wear their cosy pjs in 1,142 settings all across the country.
As well as supporting a new member project to enhance quality for children in Early Years and School Age Care settings, Early Childhood Ireland’s 3,900 members also voted to support AsIAm.
Teresa Heeney, CEO, Early Childhood Ireland said her organisation is "so proud of the positive impact" that the funding will make, particularly on the lives of children with autism.
“On behalf of everyone at Early Childhood Ireland, I would like to thank our members, their educators and the children at their settings together with their families for supporting this important fundraiser year after year. For the first time ever, we also had a donation button for the general public and people have been so giving. Thank you for your generosity" said Ms. Heeney.
The funds raised will benefit two projects:
AsIAm’s Child and Family Support Programme
The Reggio Children Project 2023
AsIAm’s Child and Family Support Programme provides group-based support to autistic children and their families, while building the capacity of families to engage with support services and advocate for the critical support they require. This year’s donation will support 400 children to build meaningful relationships with others in similar situations, participate and thrive in local communities and reduce isolation and anxiety about the future.
Inspired by the commitment to quality for children, which Early Childhood Ireland shares with its members, the funds raised for the Reggio Children Project will deliver three interconnected activities:
1. A Reggio Emilia Study Tour for 24 members of Early Childhood Ireland in April.
2. A week-long event delivered by Reggio Emilia in Ireland in May, with a focus on ‘quality in education’ aimed at Early Childhood Ireland’s members, stakeholders and policy makers, to include setting visits and seminars.
3. A bespoke eLearning toolkit for members of Early Childhood Ireland available from September, inspired by the collaboration between Early Childhood Ireland and Reggio Children.