Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 98: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the way the free preschool and early childhood scheme will operate; the children who will be eligible; the number of children who will be eligible in January 2010; the criteria which will be used to determine eligibility; if the scheme is universal or if a higher contribution will be imposed on higher income families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17167/09]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 99: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the way the free preschool and early childhood scheme will operate; the service providers who will be eligible to provide the scheme; the criteria which will be used to determine eligibility; if existing service providers will be allowed to provide the public service while continuing to provide a private service simultaneously; if such a service provider who continues to provide a private service will be eligible for the capitation grant for their private practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17168/09]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 98 and 99 together.

As the Deputy will be aware I have responsibility for the implementation of the new scheme to provide a free Preschool year of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) which was announced recently by the Minister of Finance. The scheme will allow children to avail of a free playschool place in their preschool year, which will be provided for 3 hours per day, 5 days per week for 38 weeks. It will also allow children in their preschool year who are attending a full part-time day day care service to avail of a free session of 2 hours and 15 minutes per day, 5 days per week for 50 weeks. As the new scheme will be introduced from January next, the first full year will be from September 2010 and children availing of the scheme in January 2010 will have a reduced period of free preschool provision. It is hoped that the majority of parents, regardless of their income levels, will avail of the scheme for a free preschool year.

Participating children must, normally be aged between 3 years 3 months and 4 years 6 months on 1 September of each year. Exceptions will be allowed where children have special needs or it is necessary to accept children at an older age due to the enrolment policy of the local primary school. Participating services will receive capitation of €64.50 per week where children attend for 38 weeks, and €48.50 where they attend for 50 weeks of the year. Services will receive payments at the start of each term. Where the child is attending full-day or part-time child care, the service will be required to reduce the child care fees by the amount of the capitation. A participating service may also operate a preschool service which is not within the scheme.

The scheme is expected to cost approximately €170 million per annum. This figure has been estimated on the basis that the capitation grant of over €2,400 per annum will be paid in respect of some 70,000 participating children. As parents are not required to enrol their children in the preschool year, a participation rate of 90% of eligible children has been assumed. As the age range for eligibility covers a 15 month period (i.e. children must be aged between 3 years 3 months and 4 years 6 months at 1 September), the participation rate of 90% takes account of the full cohort of children who could be enrolled. (The number of live births in Ireland in 2005 was 61,042, rising to 64,237 in 2006 and 70,620 in 2007.) As the majority of children start school at the age of 5, most participating children in January 2010 are expected to be aged 4 with a significant minority aged 3. The 15 month age range is provided to facilitate parents in aligning their children's preschool year with the year they commence school.

The scheme will be open to almost 5,000 private and voluntary preschool services and officials in my Office will be writing to these by the end of May 2009 to provide further details and to advise them of the application process. Preschool leaders will be expected to have a qualification in child care to FETAC level 5 or 6 qualifications, or equivalent or to be in the process of completing their qualification. All services will be required to provide an educational programme consistent with the principles of Síolta and appropriate to the age of participating children. A national team of Síolta co-ordinators will assist services in meeting these standards.