Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 78: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the take up under the early child care and education scheme in crèches here to date in 2010; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that in some crèches take up has been very low and as such those centres may have to reduce staff numbers; if in this instance, due to the start of the scheme, some local discretion will be shown to extend exemptions of those children born after 30 June 2006 but before September 2006; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4442/10]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 79: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the anomaly that exists whereby parents of children born between 1 July 2006 and 31 August 2006 are faced with a difficult choice, either to send there children to primary school without pre-school in the preceding months, or to defer school for a year to avail of the early child care and education scheme in September 2010; in view of the fact that some children would not benefit from waiting an extra year, having already received up to two years of crèche or montessori care and have already been provisionally accepted by some primary schools; her views on a partial ECCE term until September 2010 for such children, subject to there being ample availability in a local participating crèche; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4443/10]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if there are plans to permanently review the cut off dates for early child care and education scheme eligibility to 31 August each year, separate from any discretion that may be shown in individual cases in order to facilitate children born in July and August with free pre-school care for some or all of the year preceding their entry into primary school in view of the fact that some of this cohort are ready to attend primary school just after turning four years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4444/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 to 80, inclusive, together.

I have responsibility for the implementation of the free pre-school year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme which commenced earlier this month.

Approximately 4,000 pre-school services are participating in the ECCE scheme and are currently making returns to my Office giving details of qualifying children attending their services. As the deadline for service returns is 29 January 2009, the number of children participating in the ECCE scheme at this point will not be known until next week. However on the basis of the returns received to date, it would appear that some 50,000 children, or 80% of children in their pre-school year, are availing of the scheme. This would represent a very high take-up of the scheme, particularly in its initial period.

Even if the take-up of the scheme was not as high as would appear to be the case, I do not understand why this would give rise to a reduction in the number of staff employed by pre-school services. It would appear to me that the scheme will have the opposite effect in that the number of children attending these services will increase, given that the scheme provides a free pre-school year relieving parents of the cost.

As the Deputy is aware, the scheme is open to children aged between three years three months and four years six months at 1 September each year. The most generous interpretation possible is being applied to this age range so that all children aged more than three years two months and all children aged less than four years seven months (i.e. born on or between 2 February and 30 July in the relevant year) will qualify. Children who were aged three years two months or slightly younger at 1 September 2009 will not qualify for the pre-school year until September 2010. The upper age limit does not apply where children are developmentally delayed and would benefit from participating in the pre-school year at a later age.

While the majority of children commence school between the age of four years six months and five years six months, it is accepted that some parents choose to send their children to primary school at an earlier age and the ECCE scheme allows for children to attend the pre-school year and still commence primary school when they are just over four years two months of age. However, the objective of the scheme is to make early learning in a formal setting available to all children in the key developmental year before they commence primary school, with appropriate age related activities and programmes being provided to children within a particular age cohort. Targeting the pre-school year at a particular age cohort is clearly fundamental to the scheme and it is necessary, therefore, to set minimum and maximum limits to the age range within which children will participate in the scheme each year.

I am satisfied that the age range set for the scheme achieves a reasonable balance between supporting the provision of appropriate age related programmes and activities and providing flexibility to parents and their children and there are no plans to review the position in this regard at this stage.