Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 795: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if optional extra services being provided by some preschool providers are being run within the three hour entitlement under the early child-care curriculum scheme; if so, if this arrangement might exclude some children from group activities because they have not paid for this extra service in view of the fact that their parents opted for the early ECCE scheme curriculum only; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23485/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I have responsibility for implementing the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, which was introduced in January 2010 and provides a free preschool year to all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school.

It is a fundamental principle of the programme that the preschool year be provided free of charge to a parent whose child qualifies under the programme. However, participating service providers may charge parents for optional additions such as extra hours or various one-off or on-going activities or services such as outings, specific teaching resources such as dance or music, and food; but should not include activities which would generally be regarded as a normal part of a preschool service e.g. general arts and crafts activities.

It is a condition of the ECCE programme that, where optional activities are provided during the required period of preschool provision, appropriate programme-based activities be provided to children not participating in these optional activities. Both groups of children must be, at the same time, under the required levels of staff supervision required by the programme. Any additional optional activity must not be provided in a way that would leave non-participating children feeling excluded. If a service is unsure as to whether or not this would happen, then these optional activities should take place outside the normal times of the session.

The City and County Childcare Committees continually monitor the programme in order to ensure that all parents benefit from the free preschool provision as intended. The Childcare Directorate of my Department will also request Pobal, who assist with the implementation of the programme, to carry out additional visits to ensure compliance where any issue arises in relation to the delivery of the free preschool provision.