On Wednesday, June 18th, 2025, the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal in partnership with Community Foundation Ireland proudly announced that 169 grants were made possible by the generosity of viewers of last November’s Late Late Toy Show, and they will improve the lives of many children across Ireland in many significant ways.   

At National College of Ireland, we are thrilled to announce that Early Learning Initiative (ELI) will be one of the many wonderful organisations across Ireland to receive funding. 

ELI's Parenting 365 Programme: A family-centred support programme for children with developmental delays and additional needs, that provides the children with a safe and inclusive play space to explore their abilities and weekly parent support sessions with input from experts has been awarded €40,000.00 by this year’s Grants Panel.  

“It is wonderful that ELI will benefit from the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal. We would like to extend our thanks to Community Foundation Ireland and to the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal for their continued support as we continue to support parents and families of children with additional needs. ELI's Parenting 365 Programme provides children with a safe and inclusive play space to explore their abilities and offers weekly parent support sessions with input from experts. This funding will make a vast difference in the lives of many families, and we look forward to being able to continue to have such a positive impact on children and their families.” ~  Dr Josephine Bleach, Director of Early Learning Initiative

Announcing the grants, RTÉ Director General, Kevin Bakhurst stated, “The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal is one of RTÉ’s most important initiatives – we are humbled by and grateful for the generosity of our Late Late Toy Show audience. Your continued support has ensured that the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal will continue to make a positive difference to the lives of thousands of children and their families, across the island, north and south. The memory of Saoirse Ruane lives on with every annual RTÉ Toy Show Appeal, as thousands of young lives are transformed year after year.” 

The Early Learning Initiative at National College of Ireland was developed to address the problem of educational underachievement in marginalised communities. ELI’s mission is to work with communities in areas of greatest need, to provide world-class parent and child learning support programmes.   

Research conducted in Ireland and beyond shows that early learning is the foundation for all learning that will follow in a child’s life. Differences can be seen in language and numerical developments between children from wealthier vs disadvantaged backgrounds from as early as three years of age. This gap will only continue to widen if it is not addressed before children go to playschool. It is an unfortunate reality that without early interventions from programmes like ELI, for many children from disadvantaged areas, their chances to thrive as they grow up are decided before they even have the chance to enter formal education. The Early Learning Initiative aims to break those generational cycles by making education accessible to all through various methods of supporting families.   

The work of ELI is made possible because of the many people who come together to ensure that young people and their families are given the support they need to develop the skills and knowledge needed to allow them to thrive and achieve their academic, career, and personal life goals. This support comes in the form of training, activities, and supports for children, parents, guardians, and educators from birth, delivered by ELI’s network of parents, guardians, Public Healthcare nurses, community and youth workers alongside corporate volunteers and educators from primary to third level.  

At National College of Ireland, we extend our thanks to the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal and Community Foundation Ireland for their support. We look forward to continuing to support the ELI team as they continue their dedicated work to change the lives of children and their families through significant, hands-on supports.  

To learn more about the Early Learning Initiative and how you can show your support, visit the official ELI homepage. 

#ChangingLivesThroughEducation