Written answers

Tuesday, 22 March 2011

Department of Health

Preschool Services

9:00 pm

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 335: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if he will consider granting greater flexibility to parents and preschool operators with regard to the age criteria at which children are eligible for the free preschool year; the consultations, if any, which he has had with parents or the representatives of preschool operators on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5279/11]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, which was introduced in January 2010, provides for a free pre-school year to eligible children in the year before they commence primary school.

Approximately 4,300 pre-school services, 95% of those operating in the State, are participating in the ECCE scheme and 63,000 children, or 94% of the eligible cohort, are availing of the pre-school year. Children qualify for the free pre-school year where they are aged more than 3 years 2 months and less than 4 years 7 months in September of the relevant year. This means that children born between 2 February 2006 and 30 June 2007 were eligible for the free pre-school year which commenced in September 2010 and children born between 2 February 2007 and 30 June 2008 will be eligible in September 2011. There is no provision under the scheme to enrol children who are below the qualifying age.

The scheme includes a number of provisions to take account of children with special needs. These include an exemption from the upper age limit for qualification under the scheme where a child is developmentally delayed and would benefit from starting primary school at a later age. In addition, children with special needs can apply to have the pre-school year split over two years on a pro-rata basis, for example availing of the scheme for 2 days a week in the first year and for 3 days a week in the second year.

The objective of the ECCE scheme is to make early learning in a formal setting available to all children in the year before they commence primary school. Services participating in the pre-school year are expected to provide appropriate age related activities and programmes to children within a particular age cohort. It is necessary, therefore, to target the pre-school year at a particular age cohort and to set minimum and maximum limits to the age range within which children participate in the scheme. In setting the minimum and maximum age limits, account was taken of a number of factors, including the variation in school admission policies and the fact that the majority of children commence primary school between the ages of 4 years 6 months and 5 years 6 months.

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