Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Since the inception of the early childhood care and education programme, ECCE, age limits have been used to determine eligibility for the scheme. These rules are a necessary component of any Government scheme and ensure that Exchequer funding is used for its intended purpose. In 2010, only one ECCE year, or 38 weeks, was available. I enhanced this in 2016 and, on average, children benefitted from 61 weeks. From this September, the additional investment I secured in budget 2018 will enable all children from the age of two years and eight months to be eligible for two programme years.

While children will be eligible for two years of ECCE, not all parents choose to avail of it. There are two factors that prevent absolute standardisation of how much time children will utilise from the two years available. As Deputies are aware, school entry occurs at one point in the year, September, but children are born across the full year. Parents can opt to start their children in school at either four or five years of age. I fully accept that the use of age limits in a scheme such as this creates a situation whereby a child can fall just outside the age range. Under current rules, children born in January are most affected. However, we have to place an age cut-off at some point, whether this is at two years and eight months, or higher, or lower than this. The scheme as it exists provides eligibility for two years but enables parents to decide how much of ECCE is in the best interest of their child. I have asked for a consultation with the parents of children with disabilities, as I think the Deputy is aware, with regard to how the age limits affect them and I am due to receive the report on this consultation in late June. I will be happy to update Deputies as soon as possible thereafter on any changes to the scheme as a result of this consultation. I am conscious that age-based rules can be somewhat confusing, but my Department will continue to promote good communication of the ECCE scheme, so that parents and providers are clear about the rules involved.

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