Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 226: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [20118/09]

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 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 eligible 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 eligible children in their pre-school year who are attending full day or part-time daycare 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. Children availing of the scheme on the 1st January 2010 must be between the ages of 3 years and 7 months and 4 years and 10 months on that date. 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.

From the information available, it would appear that the children referred to by the Deputy will not be within the applicable age range to be eligible to participate in the scheme in January 2010 but that they will be eligible for a full free pre-school year in September 2010.