Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. The extension of the free preschool year is most welcome. As part of my outreach work as rapporteur on quality and affordable child care, I met many staff across the sector. The one issue they raise, although they very much welcome the second free preschool year, concerns the capacity to cope. Have studies been carried out to identify the gaps where sufficient infrastructure is needed and extra places will be required nationally?

Will every child be guaranteed a free preschool place for the first and second years? A second free preschool year has been granted, but questions posed within the child care profession include whether the need for the training of child care workers will be adequately met in such a short period of time and whether it will be able to cope with the extension of the ECCE programme.

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