“I love the fact that play is so recognised and shared by people who understand its importance as a vehicle to learn and live. Keep up the great work.”
— Conference Participant
PlayBoard NI in collaboration with the Childcare Partnerships recently hosted a regional conference entitled “School Age Childcare: The Journey – The Future”. The conference brought togetherattendees from across the sector, including School Age Childcare (SAC) practitioners, students, and representatives from key stakeholder organisations.
The event provided an inspiring platform to share learning, celebrate progress and explore how play is central to shaping quality practice in childcare and delivering positive outcomes for children.
Ahead of the event Education Minister, Paul Givan MLA showed his support for School Age Childcare commenting:
“I recognise the invaluable contribution to our children and young people provided through school age childcare services. I was pleased to extend the Northern Ireland Childcare Support Scheme to include school-aged childcare from September 2025 — a significant milestone in our efforts to reduce childcare costs for working families.
“The measures introduced to date are just a start and I am committed to bringing forward an Early Learning and Childcare Strategy to the Executive in the near future, which will cover the needs of children, parents and providers.”
The conference received outstanding feedback from attendees:
- 100% of participants were satisfied with the event.
- 100% agreed that it was relevant to their work in School Age Childcare.
- 100% felt it provided new ideas, tools, and approaches they could apply in their roles.
- 100% said they would share their learning with colleagues.
- 86% found the networking opportunities extremely or very valuable.
Attendees praised the quality, enthusiasm and variety of sessions on offer, with feedback highlighting how each speaker brought something unique and meaningful to the day:
- “All speakers were interesting and provided enthusiastic approaches in their delivery.”
- “Every session brought something different and valuable – I couldn’t choose just one.”
- “Supporting mental health & wellbeing through play gave me a bigger and visual understanding. Very well done.”
- “Peter’s talk on finding out what children want and feel was particularly insightful.”
- “Amber the Playworker was very inspiring and insightful.”
- “Loved networking with PlayBoard and hearing about the opportunities on offer.”
The success of “The Journey – The Future” highlights the strength of the School Age Childcare sector and the collective passion for promoting play as a vital foundation for children’s learning, wellbeing, and development.
PlayBoard extends sincere thanks to everyone who attended, contributed, and shared their experiences — together, we continue to champion the importance of play-based School Age Childcare and its transformative role in children’s lives.
