When children receive the right supports at the right time, they will thrive in school.
That’s how a new article in InTouch Magazine describes the impact of City Connects in Irish schools. The article in the publication’s November-December issue describes the five-year history of City Connects’ implementation in Ireland, as well as some of the value teachers and administrators have seen from the program.
As the article states, “Attendance figures for the NEIC City Connects schools over the last four years are promising. Principals have highlighted more motivation in children to go to school as they are excited about the opportunities afforded to them based on their strengths, needs, and interests. As one principal said: ‘Attendance is better…we’ve really seen an impact across the board in terms of the pupils’ engagement in school.’”
InTouch Magazine is the in-house publication of The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO). INTO was founded in 1868 and is the oldest and largest teachers’ union in Ireland, representing 52,000 teachers. Its InTouch member magazine is read by teachers, principals, and deputy principals across Ireland.
The article describes how The National Centre for City Connects Ireland (NCCCI) was founded in 2024 at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, in partnership with the Irish Department of Education and Youth, who funds it, and Tusla Education Support Service (TESS).
Since 2019, City Connects and Mary Immaculate College have been collaborating on the program’s acculturation and implementation within the Irish context. City Connects has been piloted since the 2020-2021 academic year in 10 of Dublin’s North-East
Inner City primary schools. These schools are part of the national Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) program, which serves students who are designated as being at risk of educational disadvantage and social exclusion.
This fall, City Connects expanded into post-primary schools, which are equivalent to middle schools in the U.S. education system, thanks to promising results from the pilot program.
A principal quoted in the article described why he values having City Connects in his school. “The children know there is something bigger than the life they live at home through City Connects… they’re building connections based on their interests. These activities are sustaining them and building their resilience. That is the truth.”
Read the article here.
