Minister Foley announces expansion of the ‘Early Talk Boost’ programme to tackle language delay among young children

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, has announced that a programme which tackles language delay among young children is set to expand this month with the recruitment of up to 50 additional tutors.

The Early Talk Boost programme is already helping children in 108 early learning and care settings across 18 counties.

It is now set to expand to more early learning and care settings from September, supported by the recruitment of up to 50 additional tutors.

Children who take part in the programme attend three sessions per week for an 8-week period, in groups of up to eight children. Sessions take place in the children’s own early learning and care setting during circle/story time, with each session lasting 15-20 minutes.

Partnership with parents is a key aspect of the programme. Parents get an Early Talk Boost pack made up of eight story books which they share with their child at home as part of reinforcing the language skills learned during the preschool sessions. Parents also attend a workshop facilitated by the early years educators in the setting, where they describe the programme and how to share and use the Early Talk Boost story books at home.

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, stated:

“Early Talk Boost is a great programme to improve language skills among young children at risk of disadvantage. It is very positive to continue the rollout of this programme, so that it reaches the children most in need at such an important stage of their language development. I am also very pleased to hear that parents have enjoyed reading the Early Talk Boost books with their children at home.”

The rollout of Early Talk Boost is a key action of Equal Start, which provides universal and targeted measures for children at risk of disadvantage to support their access and participation in early learning and care and school-age childcare.

Early years educators in priority settings are being trained to deliver this programme to children in their setting by Better Start Specialist tutors, Early Years Mentors within the Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme and HSE tutors, supported by a HSE super tutor.

Counties with settings trained to deliver Early Talk Boost to date include Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow. Training is also due to be delivered to services in Kerry and Kildare in the coming weeks.

Yvonne Galvin of ‘Our Lady of Lourdes Childworld Creche’ in Limerick, who has delivered Early Talk Boost in her own setting, said:

“Early Talk Boost has been such a welcome addition to our service. We have been able to train our staff and run the programme here in the setting, giving children the chance to engage with the intervention, in a place where they feel they belong.”

Ms Galvin also noted:

“What really stood out for us was how the programme involved parents. The take-home books and activities made it easier for families to join in with their child’s learning at home. Parents have told us that these small, everyday moments of reading and playing together have made a real difference, and it’s lovely to see the same strategies being used both at home and in the setting.

We’ve noticed children becoming more confident, using more words, and engaging in play and conversations in new ways.

As a team, the training has given us more confidence and practical tools that we can use every day.

It has empowered parents, and most importantly, supported children’s speech and language at a stage when it makes the biggest difference.”

Early learning and care settings based in areas of concentrated disadvantaged have been prioritised in the initial rollout phase of Early Talk Boost .

List of the Counties with settings that have already delivered Early Talk Boost to children: