Pictured L-R: Dr Claire Foley, Assistant Director, City Connects Boston College; Eucharia McCarthy, Director NCCCI; Professor Mary Walsh, Executive Director, City Connects Boston College; and Gerry Cullen, National Lead Implementation Manager, NCCCI.
Mary Immaculate College (MIC) and Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) has welcomed the announcement by Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton TD that the City Connects programme will be extended to 25 schools across Limerick City and Tallaght, Dublin from the beginning of the new school year.
The extension will see City Connects provide evidence-based supports to children and young people across 12 primary schools and one post-primary school in Limerick City, as well as 12 primary schools in Tallaght, Dublin. Of the 12 primary schools, seven are included in the DEIS Plus scheme and five are DEIS Urban Band 1 schools, while the post-primary school is also part of DEIS Plus. The programme will also be extended to 12 primary schools in Tallaght, Dublin, bringing the total number of new schools joining City Connects to 25.
City Connects is a whole-school approach designed to support children and young people by identifying challenges that may affect their attendance, learning and wellbeing and connecting them with appropriate school, community and public services. The programme is implemented in Ireland by the Department of Education and Youth in partnership with the National Centre for City Connects Ireland (NCCCI) at MIC and Tusla Education Support Service.
The NCCI, based in MIC, leads the implementation and research of City Connects in Ireland. TESS operationalises the programme working in partnership with NCCI, local school and communities. Developed by the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children at Boston College, the programme has been operating for more than 25 years in the United States and works by developing tailored supports around individual students, drawing on the resources available within schools and their wider communities.
The extension of City Connects to Limerick City and Tallaght, Dublin, forms part of the Department of Education and Youth’s wider DEIS Strategy to 2035 and DEIS Plus programme, which emphasise greater collaboration between government departments and agencies to address educational disadvantage. The extension represents a full-year investment of €1.8 million and delivers Action 3.1 of the DEIS Plus Implementation Plan 2026-2028.
Announcing the extension, Minister Naughton said:
“Every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their background or circumstances. The expansion of City Connects to Limerick City and Tallaght reflects this Government's commitment to tackling educational disadvantage and ensuring that children and young people have access to the supports they need to thrive in school and in life. City Connects is helping schools to identify and respond to the individual needs of children, while strengthening connections between schools, families, community organisations and public services.”
Welcoming the announcement, Professor Dermot Nestor, President of MIC, said:
“The expansion of City Connects to 25 schools is a cause for celebration in every one of those communities. City Connects begins with what every child brings — their strengths, their interests, their talents — and matches each child with the supports through which they thrive. This is work done with children and families, never for them, and it is transformative because of that. The expansion honours the teachers, principals, and families who have given for years to the flourishing of this city's children.
As home of the National Centre for City Connects Ireland, MIC thanks the Department of Education and Youth for this investment. MIC is proud to work with the Department, Boston College and Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) to support schools in connecting students and families with the services and resources they need to thrive. Today that work widens — and the task is to go forward, creating futures for these children”.
Eucharia McCarthy, Director of the NCCCI, added:
“The extension of City Connects to Limerick City and Tallaght represents an important step in bringing this evidence-based approach to more children and young people. By working closely with schools, families and community services, City Connects helps identify individual needs and connect students with the right supports at the right time.
We look forward to working with a wide range of local community providers to build a rich, targeted and individualised set of in-school and community-based supports which aim to improve opportunities and long-term outcomes for children, ultimately having a positive impact on the quality of children's lives."
Áine O’Keeffe, National Service Director, TESS, said:
“Through our work in TESS, we see every day the importance of early, coordinated support in helping children to engage with education, participate fully in school life, and reach their potential. This expansion of City Connects to 25 schools in Limerick City and Tallaght will strengthen the network of supports available to children, young people and families in these communities.
Working together with school leadership and the TESS the Educational Welfare Service, School Completion Programme and Home School Community Liaison Scheme, City Connects will provide universal support across the participating schools promoting regular school attendance and engagement with education for all children”.
