Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 171: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the requirements, arising from the budgetary announcement that free pre-school places would be provided for one year for all children under four years of age, she is placing on private sector pre-schools to provide places; the number of children being allocated to each school; the number of hours per day that need to be provided; the payment per child per week being offered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18589/09]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware I have responsibility for the implementation of the new scheme to provide a free Pre-School year of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) which was announced recently by the Minister of Finance.

The Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is being introduced from January 2010 as a free scheme to benefit children in the key developmental period prior to commencing school. The scheme will allow children to avail of a free playschool place in their pre-school year, which will be provided for 3 hours per day, 5 days per week for 38 weeks. It will also allow children in their pre-school year who are attending full day or part-time day-care services 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.

Participating children must, normally be aged between 3 years 3 months and 4 years 6 months on the 1st 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 childcare, the service will be required to reduce the childcare fees by the amount of the capitation. A participating service may also operate a pre-school service which is not within the scheme.

While the scheme will normally be required to provide services on a five day per week basis, transitional arrangements will apply during the initial period of January to August 2010, to allow services to adjust to the requirements of the new scheme. During this period, services which are already accommodating children on a pro rata basis, may continue to do so and the capitation grant will be set by reference to the number of children attending per day rather than the total number of children per week.

To ensure that a satisfactory standard of pre-school provision is delivered, a minimum enrolment of 8 children is envisaged. Exceptions will be considered where, for good reason and subject to compliance with all other contractual requirements governing the scheme, a service has an enrolment of at least 5 children in their pre-school year or there is a minimum enrolment of 8 children of which at least 3 are in their pre-school year and the remainder would be eligible in the following year.