Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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24. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if his Department will ensure equal access for children with disabilities to the first year of pre-primary care in the absence of adequate supports in place. [35737/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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My Department implements the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children before they commence primary school. The programme is a free and universal provision to which all children have access.

To ensure that the ECCE programme is more accessible to children with special needs a number of additional provisions have been added. These include an exemption from the upper age limit for qualification under the programme where a child 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 programme for 2 days a week in the first year and for 3 days a week in the second year.

I am aware that the Health Service Executive does, where possible, provide additional supports to children with special needs to enable them to avail of pre-school services in mainstream pre-school settings. My Department has been working with the Department of Health in the context of building better supports to facilitate children with special needs. The aim is to develop an agreed framework for the provision of resources to support special needs children in mainstream childcare settings. However the issue of supports for children with special needs availing of services in mainstream childcare settings remains a matter for the Department of Health and the HSE.