Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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289. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will use discretion where a child is under the criteria by a number of weeks, in order to be deemed eligible for the early childcare and education programme for 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4336/16]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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At present, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme covers children who have reached the age of 3 years and 2 months by 1 September of the relevant year. Children born between 2 February 2011 and 30 June 2012 are eligible to avail of the programme in the current school year.

In Budget 2016 I announced that from September 2016 children will be eligible to start free pre-school when they turn three and can continue in pre-school until they start primary school (provided they are not older than 5 years 6 months at the end of the pre-school year, i.e. the end of June). Children born between 1 January 2012 and 31 August 2013 will be eligible to avail of the programme at the commencement of the school year 2016/2017. Following the introduction of the expanded programme there will be three opportunities each year - in September, January and April - for eligible children to enroll for the free pre-school provision.

Qualifying children must be within the specified age category and there is no provision to enrol children who are below the qualifying age.