Seanad debates

Wednesday, 17 June 2009

10:00 am

Photo of Barry AndrewsBarry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I have responsibility for the implementation of the new scheme to provide a free pre-school year of early childhood care and education, to be introduced from January next. This scheme's introduction is one of the most significant developments in early childhood care and education which has taken place in Ireland to date. Building on the progress made over the past decade, we are now taking a major step in providing universal pre-school education for all children.

Children will be eligible where they are aged between three and a quarter and four and a half on 1 September of each year. Flexibility exists where a child has special needs, or to accommodate children due to the enrolment policy of a local primary school. Where children attend a sessional playschool, they will receive three hours per day each week over 38 weeks. A number of alternative options exist which amount to an equivalent level of provision over the course of the year.

An annual capitation fee of over €2,400 will be paid to participating services. This is equivalent to €64.50 per week where a service is participating for 38 weeks. Services will be paid in advance at the start of each term. Services may charge parents for additional services, provided these are clearly optional. These include additional hours and additional services in the form of activities or services such as outings, birthday parties, dance classes or food. However, these must be optional and appropriate programme-based activities must be provided for children not participating in an optional activity.

The precise number of children who will avail of the scheme in a given year will vary, with the birth rate approximately four years before enrolment. Children in the scheme in January 2010 will generally have been born between March 2005 and June 2006. While there are more than 70,000 children in the age range eligible under the scheme and provision has been made for this level of attendance, it is anticipated that 64,000 are likely to avail of their pre-school year in January 2010.

A sufficient number of places are expected to be available, based on capacity in the sector, and it will be open to almost 5,000 services to participate. Services started applying last week and the indications are that there will be a very high level of take-up. While some have argued for a higher capitation rate, most services have expressed strong support for the scheme. The level of capitation exceeds that proposed under the NESF's free pre-school year proposal and is far higher than the £30 per week paid under the equivalent scheme in Northern Ireland. For most services, this will see an increase in their income, allowing them to meet the higher standards required, relative to the existing requirements under the child care regulations.

The scheme was debated last month in Dáil Éireann. While some opposition Deputies acknowledged the great step forward it represents, there were also contributions from others, who while trying to claim that they supported a free pre-school year, simultaneously argued that services should be allowed charge fees from parents. If services could charge fees, many would do so, and the scheme could quickly become inaccessible for disadvantaged families. Given that research shows these are the children who benefit most from pre-school, this is not an outcome that I could stand over.

The same debate saw Deputies argue that there was too little detail available at the announcement of the scheme, yet too many of the details were set in stone. Of course, the budget announcement outlined the main details of the scheme and the following weeks allowed me and my officials to meet stakeholders to ensure that the operation of the scheme is fair and effective. I have endeavoured to respond to concerns raised in a flexible way.

The required staffing ratios are those provided for under the child care regulations, that is, 1:8 in full day-care settings and 1:10 in sessional services. The scheme will be delivered by qualified pre-school leaders and assistants.

In recognition of the complexity of the educational attainment of staff within the sector, in the first two full years of the scheme, where pre-school leaders have an appropriate award in early childhood care and education and have at least two years appropriate experience, they will meet the qualification requirement. Thereafter, all lead staff will be required to have achieved a major award in early childhood care and education.

Practitioners who currently cannot achieve this status will be facilitated by the workforce development plan, which will address issues such as access to education and training. A national consultation process on the plan was launched last week and will conclude this autumn, and the plan is to commence in early 2010.

There have been queries regarding curriculum. There is a variety of approaches to early learning, such as Montessori, Steiner-Waldorf and High/Scope. All these will be accommodated within the national frameworks for early education developed under Síolta and Aistear, both of which guide the scheme and the programme based activities which will be provided.

I am delighted that the Government has made the far-sighted decision to introduce this scheme. It will give equal opportunities to all children, particularly the most marginalised who would not otherwise be able to attend pre-school, as well as helping parents who up to now had to meet the cost of pre-school provision themselves. It will also benefit services which will gain certainty and sustainability in what are, for most, trying times.

Time and effort will be involved to ensure the greatest possible levels of participation in the scheme and to reach the highest standards of early years care and education provision. However, I am confident that the scheme provides the framework to achieve this ambition.

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