Internationally renowned early childhood expert, Dr Dan Wuori, recently delivered an address at Mary Immaculate College (MIC) on the importance of early childhood experiences, sharing evidence on brain development to support ‘Why the Early Years Last a Lifetime’.
Dr Wuori spoke as part of a multi-agency collaborative event at MIC in conjunction with partners in ABC Startright, PAUL Partnership, Limerick Childcare Committee, Tusla and Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Limerick, and organised by academics Dr Jennifer Pope and Dr Mary Moloney, members of the Department of Reflective Pedagogy & Early Childhood Studies at MIC.
Hailing from the United States, Dr Wuori is the Founder and President of Early Childhood Policy Solutions and Strategic Advisor on early childhood at The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation. He was also the founding director of early learning at The Hunt Institute in Cary, North Carolina. He is well known through his large following on social media, sharing insightful video clips that illustrate key aspects of child development.
He is the author of the book The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education which highlights the damaging impact of the dichotomy between childcare and education for young children.
In her opening address at the event, Dr Mary Moloney highlighted Dan’s capacity to make the “ordinary, extraordinary” inspiring his social media following to look deeper into everyday interactions with children and to consider their powerful impact on the brain and body, now and for the future.
Speaking about the event, Dr Jennifer Pope added: “Dan reinforced the fundamental role that early childhood professionals play when working with our youngest children.”
The audience was comprised of parents, educators, Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Care & Education (BA ECCE) students, as well as a range of community groups, Childcare Committees, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), past graduates and academics.
In advance of his talk, Dr Dan Wuori met with MIC President, Professor Dermot Nestor, and members of the event’s Steering Committee.
