Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 176: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the details of the new scheme to cover a free pre-school year of early childhood care and education for all children between the ages of three years and three months and four years and six months as it applies to rural schools whereby children are accepted on a rotational basis that is two to three days which allows the pre-school owner to cater for more children in the locality while adhering to their licensing obligations. [19653/09]

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 pre-school place in the year before the commence school. This will consist of 3 hours per day, 5 days per week over 38 weeks or 2 hours and 15 minutes per day, 5 days per week over 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 per week where they attend for 50 weeks. Services will receive payments at the start of each term.

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.