Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 303: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has received correspondence from an organisation (details supplied); if she will make the changes requested to the early childhood care and education scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37760/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I have responsibility for implementing the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, which provides for a free pre-school year to eligible children in the year before they commence primary school.

I have read the correspondence referred to by the Deputy and do not accept it provides any basis for considering any change to the ECCE scheme. On the contrary, the evidence of my Office is that the early childhood care and education sector is very happy with the ECCE scheme and anxious that it will continue in its present form into the future. The number of services participating in the scheme has increased from approximately 3,800 in January 2010 to 4,200 this September. This represents 95% of all pre-school services in the State and clearly demonstrates that the capitation rates provided for under the scheme are reasonable. The fact that 94% of eligible children are availing of the free pre-school year within 8 months of its introduction, is further testimony to its success.

Under the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No. 2) Regulations 2006, a person single-handedly taking care of pre-school children in his or her own home, for a total of more than 2 hours a day, is considered to be providing a childminding service. In general, where more than three children are being taken care of, a childminder is required to notify his or her service to the Health Service Executive (HSE) and is subject to the Regulations and to inspection. Childminders who are not subject to these requirements are encouraged to voluntarily notify their service to their local City or County Childcare Committee which provides a range of supports to enable them to improve the standards of their childcare service. While my Office actively promotes the notification of childminding services and the participation of childminders in quality and training programmes, it is not in a position to prevent parents entering into informal arrangements with childminders who are outside the scope of the Regulations.

National and international research has established that there is a close relationship between the capacity and qualifications of the workforce in early childhood care and education settings and the quality of young children's early experiences. The Workforce Development Plan for the sector, which is about to be published by my Office, includes a commitment to upskilling the workforce in the Early Childhood Care and Education sector and this is re-enforced by the condition that services participating in the ECCE scheme must have appropriately qualified staff to deliver the pre-school year. The ECCE scheme is the first to require staff working in the sector to hold relevant qualifications. At this point, the scheme does not require Pre-School Year leaders to hold more than a minimum qualification level. This is intended to assist the process of improving quality and standards over time. However, importantly, the scheme also provides for the payment of a higher capitation fee to services with more highly qualified staff and I would hope that this will further support the upward trend in qualifications held within the sector.

I would agree that staff in pre-school services with many years of experience will generally have accrued valuable learning relevant to their role. However, research has shown that years of experience in the workplace do not necessarily translate into relevant learning and it is important to have processes in place to objectively assess prior learning. The processes currently in place to give nationally recognised accreditation of prior learning, are the responsibility of educational institutions and awarding bodies such as the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) and the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC). Assessment will generally take place as part of the delivery of a programme of education and training but may also be conducted as part of a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process. RPL processes usually involve an individual providing evidence of his or her learning for independent assessment and certifications from courses that are not aligned with the National Framework of Qualifications can also be assessed.

Whether a service is liable for commercial rates, under the Valuation Act 2001, is a matter for the Valuation Office under the remit of the Minister for Finance. Following the announcement of the ECCE scheme, the Valuation Office clarified in July 2009 that services participating in the scheme which are solely and exclusively used for the provision of educational services which are available to the general public, and where the expenses incurred in providing these services are defrayed wholly or mainly by the State, would be considered exempt from commercial rates. Childcare services which do not satisfy these conditions continue to be liable to commercial rates.