Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

356. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will address a matter (details supplied) in County Kerry regarding the free preschool year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41518/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In Budget 2016 it was announced that, from September 2016, children will be eligible to start free pre-school when they turn age 3, and can continue in free pre-school until they start primary school (once the child is not older than 5½ years at the end of the relevant pre-school year i.e. end June).

This extension of free pre-school will increase the number of children benefitting from free pre-school from about 67,000 per annum, to 127,000 in a given programme year. Accommodating this increase requires a significant increase in capacity in the pre-school sector; pre-school services need time to consider and implement any needed infrastructural or service changes, and to put in place extra staff resources. The September 2016 implementation date was set to allow pre-school providers to put such measures in place.

It is appreciated that this does mean that a small cohort of children, including those mentioned by the Deputy, while continuing to avail of the 38 week entitlement to free pre-school currently provided under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, will not benefit from additional free pre-school provided under this new budgetary measure. However, should an earlier start date have been chosen, the likelihood is that there would not have been sufficient capacity in the sector to accommodate all children.

However, you will appreciate that this extended provision, when introduced, will ensure that, from the age of three, all children in Ireland will be able to access free education, either in pre-school or in primary school. This is a significant step forward for children and families.