Over the years Portobello Institute has dedicated a lot of time working with charities in India spending time with slum children in schools and orphanages.  Denise Flood, Head of the Early Years Department has visited Pune many times devoting her time to street children and accessing how she could make a change to the quality of their lives using her years of experinece within Montessori and Chlidcare.  Her empathetic approach towards these children has led her to further develop education facilites and with this in mind 2012 will see Portobello Institute embark on a new project in India by setting up a Montessori school in Pune.  Experiencing first hand Denise has seen how spending quality time with the children ensuring they are stimulated in every day skills has steadily improved their cognitive and social skills.  In the short time she spend in Pune she saw a dramatic improvement in some of the childrens responses.  In these poor slum areas many children are sent out to beg on the streets as familes are extremely poor.  Portobello Institute aim to open a school which will be able to provide a warm and welcoming environment for these children.  Using the Montessori method Denise and her team will set about encouraging learning and developing the individual childrens potential.

Childrens charity Zest4kidz has been working with disadvantaged children for a number of years, working with children in Orphanages in Belarus, child soldiers in Uganda and slum and street children in India.  The charity organize support groups to travel to these areas to work with children, show them support and love and that they are not alone.  The charity has carried out trips to India a number of times to work with children schooled in the Pune area.  On the most recent trip this month two Portobello Institute staff were part of the support group that travelled to Pune to work with these disadvantaged children.  Denise Flood, Head of Early Years Department and Tara Flood, Marketing Manager worked closey with both the children and teachers of the school.  Denise who heads up the Montessori and childcare division at Portobello Institute took time out to educate the teachers of the school about the philosphy behind Montessori and how this form of education could benefit the children within their current environment.  Tara worked closely with the team who supported the children and concentrated on Arts & Crafts sessions with them.  Simple things like painting, bubbbles and balloons brought smiles to their faces and the children worked as a group to create a mural for the wall.  Tara says "it was really important for us to try and get the quieter children to intergrate with the others.  Some children would be happy to sit in the corner on their own but by the end of our sessions they had grown confidence and were happily playing and enjoying the fun.  It is hard experience such low poverty levels and although we only spent a week there I feel confident that we brought a small change to each of the children."

Montessori, Childcare and Special Needs are the most popular programmes we deliver outside the Dublin area.  Over the years Portobello Institute have been delivering these courses in Cork, Galway Waterford, Carlow and many more areas.  To ensure potential students are equiped with sufficient information about our courses for Autumn we are carrying out a number of regional open evenings in popular areas.  Portobello Institute prides itself on its dedicated and expert tutors. All of our childcare tutors have a true passion for this sector.  Individually they have vast amounts of knowledge to share with potential students and they will be on hand at the open evening to answer any questions you have about working in this challenging yet rewarding sector.  We are holidng open evenings in the folloing areas:

The Glen Group in Balinteer, Dublin are a voluntary organisation who run a summer camp for young adults with physical and intellectual disabilities age 16+.  The camp which runs during the montth of July is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help out this summer.  Glen Group offer a number activites ranging from horse riding, sea safari, arts and crafts, absailing and much more. In addition they organize meals out and concerts.  If you are looking to get involved and want to gain some experience with young adults in this area then please contact Michael Brogan on 087 912 8014 or michael.glengroup@gmail.com

There are many obstacles facing people with intellectual disabilities including communication.  Sign language aids the gap for communication between adults and children giving both parties a tool in which to understand each other and form a converstaion.  LAMH is an Irish sign language which has been around since the 80's and has proved to be an invaluable asset to parents with children to have hearing or intellectual disabilities.  LAMH is taught at St Michaeals House and this week a representative from the organisation took the time to deliver a guest lecture to our Childcare and Special Needs students informing them of this advantageous form of signing with young children.  The simple signs in LAMH were developed to allow practitioners and families to communcate with their children until the child learns to speak.  Many preschoolers find it is an excellent tool within thier settings for children with lots of different learning delays.  Signs can be used a primary method of communication.  Many LAMH signs have been adapted from Irish Sign Language (ISL).  However, LAMH uses a smaller number of signs than ISL and the hand positions are complex.  Many of our students who go on to work with children with intellectual disabilities will find LAMH a fundemental tool when working in this sector. 

Barnardos launched a new publcation this week to support those working in pre-schools in creches, Montessori schools, after school clubs and summer camp settings.  The book acts as a guide for careers to understand their responsibilites regarding child protection and to maximise the safety and welfare of the children while in their care and to report child protection concerns in accordance with the Government's protection guidelines Chilldren First.