Our early learning centre provides specialised education to children with sight loss from birth up to six-years-of-age. Our staff aim to provide a safe and supportive environment to give children the best possible start to their education.

How does it work?

Working with parents and other agencies, our specialist staff will assess how sight loss is affecting your child, before putting together an individual educational programme plan to facilitate your child’s individual needs, focusing on daily living, learning and play. This plan outlines the main goals for each term and how these will be achieved and will be reviewed regularly to keep up to date with your child’s progress.

If your family is in touch other agencies, we can work with them to discuss your child’s progress to ensure consistency across all services.

Aims and activities

The activities and curriculum are designed to encourage independence and to prepare children for education. These activities include:

• Daily living skills, such as dressing, using the bathroom and eating
• Physical education
• Mobility training to encourage children to move about independently
• Music and movement
• Preparation for numeracy and literacy
• Communication skills

Based in Clondalkin in Dublin, the centre includes an activity room with a large selection of educational toys and puzzles, a computer room with specialised software and an outdoor play area with sensory garden. The multi-sensory room is equipped with bubble tubes, fibre optics, and sound box and projection equipment to stimulate children and encourage an understanding of light, textures and size.

The early learning centre opens from 10am – 4pm Monday to Friday. The service is flexible and the timetable will depend on your child’s needs.