Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 508: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the mechanism for applying for the recently announced fund of €3 million to assist in the provision of early childhood education; the type of pre-schools that can apply; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5233/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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If the Deputy is referring to funds allocated for early childhood education under DEIS- the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion, the amount allocated includes provision for support for the Early Start Programme, the Rutland Street project and Traveller pre-schools. The DEIS action plan aims to concentrate early education actions on those children, aged from three up to school enrolment, who will subsequently attend urban/town primary schools participating in the School Support Programme and serving the most disadvantaged communities. An analysis of feeder pre-schools for Band 1 DEIS schools showed that there was a significant number of infants attending Primary schools who had previously attended pre-schools; of these feeder preschools some had been funded under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP).

The National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 is the successor to the EOCP Programme and will incorporate a number of key objectives. These are to:

Increase the supply and improve the quality of early childhood care and education services, part-time and full day care, school age childcare and childminding,

Support families to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage,

Support a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of childcare, which is centred, on the needs of the child.

The provision of childcare places has been devolved to City and County Childcare Committees which have been established in 33 counties or cities to develop and implement co-ordinated strategic plans for childcare provision within their local area. The following services are eligible for support — those providing care for babies, full day care, part time places, pre-school places, school age childcare including "wrap around" childcare places and childminding. Expression of interest forms should be completed and sent to the relevant County/City Childcare Committee.

In regard to educational inclusion, my Department is currently carrying out an audit of pre-school provision in the Band 1 DEIS schools to determine how further investment would add value to existing provision.