Forbairt Naíonraí Teoranta (''FNT'', English: ''Pre-school Development Foundation'') was a voluntary organisation that worked to encourage the development of

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

childcare and education services throughout Ireland. They were based in Dublin, Ireland. Forbairt Naíonraí Teoranta and funded by

Foras na Gaeilge (, "Irish Institute"; ) is a public body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was set up on 2 December 1999, assuming the roles ...

' and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

History

Forbairt Naíonraí Teoranta was founded in 2003 by Na Naíonraí Gaelacha and Bord na Gaeilge (now Foras na Gaeilge), to act as a successor to An Comhchoiste Réamhscolaíochta, which was set up in 1978. While An Comhchoiste looked after the country as a whole, FNTs consisted of all areas outside the

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

, with Comhar Naíonraí na Gaeltachta' operating in the Gaeltacht regions. FNT provided advice and support to anyone wishing to use Irish with children. Its main focus was the foundation and development of childcare and education services through the medium of Irish. It provided particular support and training in order to establish, develop and run the following services through Irish: ''

naíonra A (; plural: ) is an Irish medium playgroup for pre-school children, which follows the principle of Total Early Immersion. Definition A ''Naíonra'' or ''Naíscoil'' is an Irish-medium pre-school in which a ''Stiúrthóir'', or Leader, speaks o ...

í'' (pre-schools), ''naíolanna'' (crèches), parent/guardian and toddler groups, after school services and summer camps. In addition to providing advice and specific training courses, they also assisted in the provision of insurance and distribute grants to existing ''naíonraí''. FNT also ran courses, through the medium of Irish, for those working in ''naíonraí''. The main courses they provided were an Intensive Training Course and FETAC Childcare Level 5 and 6.

References

External links

Forbairt Naíonraí Teoranta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbairt Naionrai Teoranta Child care skills organizations Organisations based in Dublin (city) Organizations established in 2003