Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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487. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs where existing community employment participants work in childcare and hold the FETAC Level 5 Major Award in Childcare, if they are deemed to count as part of the required adult/child ratio; if their job title changes to that of trainee childcare practitioner under the new pilot, what their status will be, if they will be classified as students or as staff (details supplied). [29062/13]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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488. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs where existing community employment participants work in childcare and do not have the full FETAC Level 5 Major Award, if they count as part of the required adult/child ratio; if their job title changes to that of trainee childcare practitioner under the new pilot, what will their status be (details supplied). [29063/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 487 and 488 together.

The adult/child ratios recommended for childcare services providing full day care, part-time care and sessional care are set out in the Explanatory Guide to the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2) Regulations 2006.

The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme makes early learning in a formal setting available to eligible children in the year before they commence primary school. The FETAC Level 5 qualification is only relevant to services participating in the ECCE programme where pre-school leaders in services providing the free pre-school provision must hold this qualification.

Community Employment (CE) workers on placement in childcare services will continue to be counted as part of the staff which make up the required adult/child ratio under both the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2) Regulations 2006 and the ECCE programme.