Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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127. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position in relation to the free preschool year (details supplied), and his view on concerns regarding the current criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16107/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Children qualify for the free preschool provision when they are within the qualifying age range, which is between three years and three months to four years and seven months in the September of the relevant year. Therefore, children born between 2 February 2011 and 30 June 2012 qualify for the free preschool year in the school year commencing in September 2015. The child in question, who was born in July 2012, qualifies for the free preschool year in the school year commencing in September 2016. There is no provision under the programme to enrol a child who is below the qualifying age.

The objective of the ECCE programme is to make early learning in a formal setting available to eligible children before they commence primary school. To achieve this, services participating in the preschool year are expected to provide age-appropriate activities and programmes to children within a particular age cohort. For this reason, it is appropriate to set minimum and maximum limits to the age range within which children will qualify. I am satisfied that the qualifying age range for entry to the programme provides the optimum opportunity for children to participate in preschool education and there are no plans to amend the age range at this time.

Situations will arise where children qualifying for the free preschool provision are also eligible to commence primary school, and in such situations it is a matter for parents to decide on which option they wish to avail of.