Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 121: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will support the case of a person (details supplied). [13269/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I have responsibility for implementation of the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme which was introduced in January of this year.

One condition of the scheme is that children must be aged between 3 years and 3 months, and 4 years and 6 months in the September at the start of the pre-school year. My office has interpreted this condition as generously as possible, to allow children who are in the age range for even one day during September enter the scheme, which means that children born between 2 February 2006 and 30 June 2007 will be eligible next September, effectively a 17 month age range. The Department of Education & Science inform my Office that approximately half of children commence Junior Infants following their fifth birthday, and those who commence school before then are generally older four year olds.

I am also informed that it would be extremely rare for a child to commence school before their fourth birthday, and that a number of schools do not take children before their 5th birthday, and a greater number require the child to have reached their 4th birthday in advance of the preceding Summer holidays.

As stated in the original documentation regarding the scheme, exceptions may be made to this condition for older children, where (a) the child has Special Needs, which make later enrolment more appropriate, or (b) local schools enrolment policies require the child to start Junior Infants aged 5 years 7 months or older. There has never been provision provide an exemption for children under the qualifying age, and it is not proposed to introduce one at this stage.

The returns made by services indicate that the average age of a child in the scheme would have been 3 years and 10 months old in the September at the start of the pre-school year.

My Office received a letter earlier this month from the person named, seeking an exemption from the above rule in respect of her daughter, who was born on 16 August 2007, as she wishes to avail of the scheme from next September. I regret, however, that as outlined, such an exemption is not allowed for under the scheme, and her eligibility will arise from 1 September 2011, i.e. 16 days after her 4th birthday, making her two months older than the average age in the scheme, rather than the 10 months younger she would be if the rules of the scheme were amended to accommodate enrolment in September 2010.