Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 604: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if there is special grant assistance available for individuals seeking to provide Montessori places or other preschool initiatives for children with special needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32364/08]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the vast majority of support for child care, including preschool education, is not provided by my Department, but is now provided by the Office of the Minister for Children under the National Child care Investment Programme 2006-2010 which is the successor programme to the Equal Opportunities Child care Programme. While there is no comprehensive nationwide preschool service for any disability category, my Department does provide some preschool provision for children with special educational needs through the visiting teacher service and, more recently, through the expansion of the home tuition scheme to provide funding for home programmes for preschool children on the autistic spectrum.

In addition, the Department now funds 24 early intervention classes for children with autism — these classes are attached to mainstream schools. My Department does not provide grant assistant to individuals seeking to provide preschool places for children with special needs.