Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years programme (LINC)
In 2016, the College was awarded the tender from the Higher Education Authority for the National Higher Education Programme for Inclusion Coordinators in Early Years Settings.
The programme, offered by a consortium led by MIC and including Early Childhood Ireland and Maynooth University – Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education, is part of a Government commitment to the provision of high-quality education and was introduced as part of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) in 2016.
The award of this tender represented a significant milestone for the College as it saw an extra 3,600 students added to the already expanding population at MIC. More importantly this new programme further strengthened MIC’s position at the forefront of early years and teacher education. It also ensured the continuation of excellent early years’ educators and teachers from pre-primary through primary and secondary education as well as the third and fourth levels of higher education. Successful graduates of the programme acquire an NFQ Level 6 (Higher Education) Special Purpose Award in the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Years Settings.
The launch of the LINC programme in September 2016 and its first cohort of over 900 students, brought student numbers at MIC to an all time high.
