Lifestart was founded in 1989 by Dolores McGuinness and Sean O Connor. Dolores will be accompanying the group on the visit.

Lifestart is based on the material "The Growing Child" by Dunn & Hargitt. It is a spiral curriculum - meaning that learning occurs on a basis of memory and a rebuilding of what was previously digested by the brain.The material is provided on a month-to-month basis for a total of 60 months - or 5 years. The years from birth to the age of five are home to 95% of the entire brain growth of a human being. The Lifestart programme focuses on providing parents with children of this age group with material that is immediately relevant to them and their child. Lifestart is in the vouluntary sector and hence, is completely free to any parent. The programme is highly successful, so much so that Queens University Belfast is currently carrying out a Longitudinal Evaluation on the effects. Along with the 15 Lifestart projects that are currently operating throughout the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, there are 30 in Macedonia and 1 in Mazabuka, Zambia.

Visit their website at www.lifestartfoundation.org