Our Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors in made up of people from the statutory, community and voluntary sectors, social partners, parents and childcare providers, who sit in a voluntary capacity. See below for information on our staff members also.

They are:

Ed Drew, Chairperson

My current role is Development Manager within North Dublin Citizens Information. Prior to this I spent ten years working in the disability sector in education, respite and residential care roles and in later years as a Social Care Manager. Throughout my career I have been a strong advocate for children, people with additional needs and more recently for those who are having trouble accessing their rights and entitlements.

I hold a BA Degree in Social Studies through Blanchardstown I.T and a Post Graduate Diploma in Employment Law through the Law Society of Ireland.

I live in Sallins and have three young daughters who are availing of, or will avail of childcare locally. This and the promotion of inclusion in education for all children is what made me apply for the board position.

Edel Smyth, Company Secretary

Living in Kildare and a mum of three, Edel has a particular interest in the quality of childcare in the area. Edel joined the Board in 2018.

She has worked in the public sector for over 20 years, in various roles which have included education, information management, communications, quality, governance, compliance, risk management and continuous improvement.

Edel holds an MBs in Business Practice and an MSc in Food Science as well as a H Dip. in Education and a PG Dip. in Public Relation

Yvonne Darragh

Yvonne Darragh was the owner of Playworld Day Nursery in the centre of Clane village. She ran her service for over twenty-six years. The service grew and at one point had three outlets in the village.

Yvonne trained in Child Development, Early Childhood Curriculum, Special needs Assisting and Child Psychology. She incorporated all the government schemes for children including NCS, ECCE, CCSP, CCSR-T, TEC, AIM and Better Start in the daily running of her service. She has worked in the community and voluntary sector which has included volunteering for the Simon Community in Dublin.

Yvonne served on the board of management for the Clane Village Centre for a number of years. She held the positions of Secretary and Treasurer on several occasions. Yvonne lives in Clane and has one son. She is honoured to join the Board as Director of Childcare Services.

Nicola McDonnell

Edelle McMonagle

Raymond Fullam

Our Staff

KCCC employs five full-time and two part-time staff members.

Julie McNamara, CEO

Julie McNamara is the CEO of Kildare County Childcare Committee where she has worked since 2004. Julie is a UCC graduate, of the first BA in Early Childhood Studies Degree in Ireland, where she obtained a First Class Honours Degree in 2000. Julie also holds a M.Soc.Sc in Youth and Community work and a Diploma in Community Leadership.

Julie has worked in the Community and Voluntary sector since the age of 17 which has included: volunteering for Oxfam in India, Simon Community in Galway, and as a Childcare worker for the Traveller community in Cork. Julie has worked in the area of disability and coordinated a Project for young men at risk in Mallow, Co. Cork prior to returning to Kildare to take up her position with KCCC.

Julie is passionate about working for young children and families and values the rights of the child. Julie works from the principles of community development and believes everyone has the right to be heard, included and empowered. Julie believes Early Childhood lays the foundations for the rest of the life cycle and is committed to working towards ensuring young children in Kildare receive the best outcomes possible.

Julie is Mother to Aisha, enjoys her job, running, yoga, cooking, gardening, travelling, and music.

Contact Julie on - julie@kccc.ie

Emily Moore, Development Officer

Emily has worked in KCCC since 2006 and has seen a lot of changes in the sector in that time, her role here in KCCC is Development Officer working with all the childcare services in Kildare to offer support and information to administer the National Childcare Funding programmes on behalf of the DCEDIY and Pobal. A significant element of the role involves the contracting, compliance, Fee policies, PIP/Hive registrations and further support regarding registered Early Years Services to comply with the 2016 Regulations. Emily also offers advice to parents and the general public on a variety of issues relating to the Early Learning and Care sector. Emily's background over many years has been with Community organisations, Communications and Customer Service.

Contact Emily on - emily@kccc.ie

Catherine Colleton, Development Officer

Catherine is Development Officer with Kildare County Childcare Committee, having worked with KCCC since 2019. Catherine has a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Education and has 10 years’ experience working in the childcare sector, both as a practitioner and in management roles. Catherine also has a QQI Level 6 Train the Trainer Qualification, is a fully qualified fitness instructor and personal trainer and has 12+ years’ experience coaching children’s gymnastics. Catherine’s ‘on the gound’ experience provides her with the knowledge to support and advise service providers, staff and parents within the early years sector.

Catherine enjoys spending time with her family, fitness and music.

Contact Catherine on - catherine@kccc.ie

Amy Dempsey, Development Officer

Amy joined the KCCC team in January 2020 as Development Officer. Amy has a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies and an MA in Child, Family and Community Studies. She also holds a QQI Level 6 Training Delivery and Evaluation. Amy has been working in the childcare sector for 12 years, with experience working as a practitioner and also in management positions. She also worked abroad for 4 years in the U.A.E and China as a kindergarten teacher. In her spare time, Amy enjoys travel, cooking and reading.

Contact Amy on - amy@kccc.ie

Louise Quinn, Operational Team Lead

Louise Quinn is the Operational Team Lead of Kildare County Childcare Committee where she has worked since 2022. Louise obtained a First Class Honours in BA Early Childhood Teaching and Learning Degree in Maynooth University. Louise is a life- long learner and has completed continual professional development consistently during her career, including QQI level 7 Certificate in Leadership, Governance and Change Management in Early Childhood Home Visiting with National College of Ireland, Solihull Approach Certificate and The Leadership for Inclusion in the Early Years Programme (LINC) and Restorative Practices and many more.

Louise has worked in the Childcare and Education including community and private creches over twenty years in a variety of roles from educator to manager. Louise has experience as a development worker for Early Intervention and Prevention and co – Ordinator of a home visiting programme to support children and parents to develop positive playful relationships in their homes and communities. Louise was a Tusla registered childminder which enabled her to stay home with her son for his early childhood years and care for 5 children of mixed ages full time in her home. Louise also worked as a Tutor for FETAC QQI Level 5 Certificate in Early Childcare and Education.

Louise has seen a lot of changes over the past twenty years in the ECCE, Childminding and Home Visiting sectors and she remains committed to ensuring children’s voices are heard and included in the development of new policies, legislation, funding models. Thus ensuring every child remains at the centre of these and Louise believes all children should have equitable access to the highest quality inclusive early childcare and education/childminding services in their local communities.

Louise enjoys travelling, hill walking, music and theatre and spending time with her family and friends.

Contact : Louise.quinn@Kccc.ie

Kateryna Zinovyeva, Information Officer

Kateryna joined the Kildare County Childcare Committee (KCCC) as an Information Officer in July 2023. Originally from Ukraine, she brings a strong personal and professional understanding of the importance of quality childhood experiences, with a special interest in ensuring high standards in childcare.

A mother of five, Kateryna is passionate about supporting families and young children. In her role, she provides tailored information and guidance on childcare services to Ukrainian families in the county, offering support in their native language. She also helps to create meaningful play opportunities for children living in Emergency Accommodation Centres.

Kateryna holds qualifications in both Childcare and Business, and brings over seven years of experience as an interpreter and translator.

Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, walking, and traveling.

Contact Kateryna: info@kccc.ie

Elaine Bowden, Development Officer

Elaine joined the team in October. Elaine holds a BA (Hons) Degree in Early Years Education and Care has 17 years’experience working in the Early Years sector as an Educator, Supervisor and Manager. Elaine has seen a lot of developments in the sector including the introduction of Aistear, Siolta andAIM. The hands-on experience Elaine has gained over the years enables her to offer valuable insights and guidance to service providers, staff, and parents in the early years sector.
Elaine enjoys spending time with her family, walking, and travelling.

Contact Elaine on inclusiondo@kildarechildcare.ie

Barbara Alessandrini, Childminding Development Officer

Barbara joined the KCCC team in October 2023 as Childminding Development Officer. She has a B.Ed.in English as a Second Language Teaching with UNR (Argentina), a Higher Diploma in Montessori
Teaching through St. Nicholas Montessori Ireland and a Masters of Philosophy in Comparative Literature through Trinity College Dublin. Barbara is a life-long learner and has completed training in Autism Studies with UCC and Leadership for Inclusion (LINC) with Mary Immaculate Collage, the latter earned her the Best Overall Portfolio Award from Early Childhood Ireland. In 2024 Barbara completed a Masters in Education Studies in Early Childhood Education at Marino (MIE).

Barbara’s experience in development is built upon ESOL teaching at primary, post-primary and
further education levels along with 12 years’ experience as an educator and Pedagogical Leader in the Irish Early Childhood Education sector. She has also experience in the areas of marketing, digital
media and content development. Barbara is interested in policy, inclusion and curriculum development to support high quality, inclusive chilcare and education practices across a variety of settings. She enjoys networking and supporting childminders in developing their business and practice for the benefit of all children and their families.

Contact Barbara on rcmdo@kccc.ie

Our Members