Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if a person (details attached) in County Kildare will qualify for the free pre-school year, as announced in the recent budget; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24881/09]

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 is being introduced from January next.

The scheme will allow qualifying children to avail of a free pre-school place in the year before they commence primary school. The scheme is open to all private and voluntary pre-school services which are notified to the Health Service Executive (HSE) or registered with the Irish Montessori Educational Board (IMEB). Sessional playschools will, normally, participate in the scheme by providing the pre-school year for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week over 38 weeks while full or part-time daycare services will, normally, participate by providing the pre-school year for 2 hours, 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week over 50 weeks.

Participating children must, normally be aged between 3 years 3 months and 4 years 6 months on 1 September each year. Exceptions will be allowed where children have been assessed by the HSE as having special needs which will delay their entry o school or it is appropriate to accept children at an older age due to the enrolment policy of the local primary school. As the child referred to by the Deputy will be aged 3 years and 2 months on 1 September 2009, she will not be eligible to avail of the free pre-school year until 1 September 2010 when she will be aged 4 years and 2 months.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the free pre-school year in Early Childhood Care and Education for all children between the ages of three years and three months and four years and six months; the position regarding children who reach the age of three years and three months after the scheme is introduced in January 2010, particularly if they reach this age during January 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25021/09]

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 is being introduced from January next.

The scheme will allow qualifying children to avail of a free pre-school place in the year before they commence primary school. The scheme is open to all private and voluntary pre-school services which are notified to the Health Service Executive (HSE) or registered with the Irish Montessori Educational Board (IMEB). Sessional playschools will, normally, participate in the scheme by providing the pre-school year for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week over 38 weeks while full or part-time daycare services will, normally, participate by providing the pre-school year for 2 hours, 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week over 50 weeks.

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 been assessed by the HSE as having special needs which will delay their entry to school or where it is appropriate to accept children at an older age due to the enrolment policy of the local primary school. Children entering the scheme in January 2010 will be eligible if they are aged between 3 years and 7 months and 4 years and 10 months on January 2010. Children who reach the age of 3 years 3 months in January 2010 will be eligible to avail of the free pre-school year from September 2010.