Head of Programmes and Learning
Margaret Kernan has spent the last 35 years working internationally in the fields of education and development. She trained as a primary school teacher in the Froebel College of Education and Trinity College Dublin and worked in primary schools in Ireland, England and The Netherlands. Following a Masters in Psychology of Education from University of London, Margaret worked as a researcher and lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, Technological University Dublin (formally the Dublin Institute of Technology). Margaret was a recipient of National Children’s Strategy Ireland Postgraduate Research Scholarship for her PhD research study: ‘The place of the outdoors in constructions of a ‘good’ childhood: an interdisciplinary study of outdoor provision in early childhood education in urban settings’ (awarded in 2007, University College Dublin).
Between 2009 and 2020 Margaret was a Senior Programme Manager at at ICDI. She rejoined ICDI as Head of Programmes and Learning in May 2023 following a 2-year period working as a Lecturer in Education and Research Methods at Hibernia College, Ireland. As ICDI’s Head of Programmes and Learning, Margaret leads multi-partner research, training and development projects focusing on psychosocial well-being of children, play and learning, children’s rights, diversity and inclusion.
As a child
‘Are you coming out to play?’ This was music to the ears of Margaret as a young girl growing up in a Dublin suburb. One of her favourite things to do was to play outside on the footpaths, roads and gardens with neighbourbood friends. Skipping, rounders, hopscotch were all much loved street games. When Margaret ‘grew up’ she wanted to be a professional!
