Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 252: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of places available on the Early Start programmes; the locations where Early Start is available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13754/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Early Start pre-school project was established in 40 primary schools in designated areas of urban disadvantage in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Drogheda and Dundalk during 1994 and 1995. There are 1,680 places in these centres. Targeted early childhood education provision is a key element of the school support programme under the new action plan for educational inclusion, delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, which provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated school support programme. The process of identifying primary and second-level schools for participation in the new school support programme has been completed.

As a result of the identification process, 840 schools have been invited to participate in the new programme. These comprise 640 primary schools — 320 urban-town schools and 320 rural schools — and 200 second level schools. Letters of invitation were issued to all 840 schools in late February with a request to complete and return an acceptance form by 10 March 2006.

The objective in respect of early childhood education is to concentrate actions on those children aged from three up to school enrolment, who will subsequently attend the 180 urban-town primary schools serving the most disadvantaged communities. The extension of early education supports to other areas served by primary schools participating in the school support programme will be considered after this objective has been achieved.

In December 2005, the Office of the Minister for Children under the Minister of State with responsibility for children was established to maximise the co-ordination of policies for children and young people and will have a range of functions previously under the Departments of Health and Children; Justice, Equality and Law Reform; and Education and Science. A new early years education policy unit has been established within my Department and will be co-located with the Office of the Minister for Children under the Minister of State with responsibility for children. This unit will oversee the preparation of plans for phased implementation of the early childhood education dimension of DEIS in the targeted school communities, starting in the next school year, and this will be pursued within an overall strategic policy framework developed by the Office of the Minister for Children under the Minister of State with responsibility for children.