Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 218: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if the early childhood care and education scheme will, when fully established after August 2010, still allow care services to accommodate children on a [i]pro rata[/i] basis and not have their capitation grant unduly affected as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22486/09]

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 in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), which will commence in January 2010. From September 2010, services participating in the scheme will be required to provide full rather than pro-rata pre school year places. Parents will be encouraged to avail of the free pre-school year on the basis of full attendance and participating services will be required to give priority to parents using the service on this basis.

However during January to August 2010, to take account of the fact that some pre-school services currently accommodate a greater number of children than they have daily places for, transitional arrangements will apply. To facilitate these services and the children attending them, they may continue to accommodate children on a pro-rata basis during this period and services will receive a capitation grant set by reference to the number of children attending each day rather than the total number of children in a week.