Annette J. Kearns, B.Sc. (Education and Training), M.Sc. (Education and Training Management (Leadership)), Post Grad. Dip. (Special Educational Needs and Inclusion). Annette’s experience ranges from owning/managing her own preschool service to working as an Early Childhood Specialist with Early Childhood Ireland where she delivered training at all levels. She mentored services on both the Sίolta and Aistear programmes throughout the North East as well as developing the Online Informal Sίolta programme and a range of other programmes connected with her special interest areas of Special Educational Needs and Early Language Development. Annette is currently on secondment from Early Childhood Ireland to the Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education in Maynooth University where she is the Placement Co-ordinator and a lecturer on the B.A. in Early Childhood Teaching and Learning (BAECTL), as well as supervising students’ research at undergraduate level.