Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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87. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the criteria he uses to assess the eligibility of qualifications for inclusion on his Department's early years recognised qualifications, the early years qualifications he recognises for the purposes of meeting the requirements of the regulations and his Department's child care programme contracts. [8641/16]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme introduced the first-ever requirement for minimum qualifications for staff working in the childcare sector. Prior to the introduction of the programme there was no requirement for staff working directly with children in pre-school services to hold any educational qualification.

New qualification requirements for childcare workers are also being introduced as part of the Early Years Quality Agenda. All staff caring for children in an early years service will be subject to a minimum qualification requirement, from the end of this year, of FETAC Level 5 or equivalent under the new Child Care Regulations to be made shortly. Pre-school leaders delivering the ECCE programme will require a FETAC Level 6 qualification or equivalent under the ECCE contract from the end of this year.

It is the responsibility of childcare providers and their staff to ensure that they hold the required or equivalent qualification. A list of recognised qualifications for the purpose of meeting the contractual requirements of the ECCE programme and in the Regulations is published on the Department's website at www.dcya.gov.ie.

The DCYA Early Years Recognised Qualifications list identifies qualifications which are acceptable for the purposes of meeting the requirements of the forthcoming regulations and DCYA Childcare Programmes Contracts. This list has been derived from two sources: advice from the Higher Capitation Advisory Board in 2011, and ongoing reviews of qualifications submitted to the DCYA. Applications for recognition are reviewed by a board with expertise in qualifications, early childhood care and education and early years policy, in association with the Department of Education and Skills.

In preparing the list of DCYA Early Years Recognised Qualifications, all decisions on the acceptability of these qualifications have been reviewed against a set of criteria including core knowledge and skills identified as essential for practice in Early Years settings, being:

- Child Development 0-6;

- Early Childhood Education - Theory and Practice;

- Child Health and Welfare 0-6 years.

The Department of Education and Skills is carrying out a comprehensive review of the education and training qualifications in early childhood education and care during 2016 and 2017 in consultation with the DCYA, education partners and the wider sector. The findings of the review may inform future decisions in relation to determining whether qualifications are suitable for professional practice in the ECCE sector and the Department reserves the right to review the recognition of any qualification on the published list.

Where a qualification is not published on the list of National Framework of Qualifications on the DCYA website, but the holder considers it to be an appropriate major award or the equivalent, they should apply to this Department through the Qualification Recognition process. If it is approved for recognition the details of the qualification will be added to the list of qualifications on the Department's web page.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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88. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs why a person (details supplied) is not entitled to an additional free year of preschool under the early childhood care and education scheme; and if he will exercise discretion or allow an exemption for persons whose birthday falls close to the cut-off point for the additional year under the expanded scheme. [8669/16]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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In Budget 2016 it was announced that, from September 2016, children will be eligible to start free pre-school when they reach the age of 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 pre-school year i.e. end June). The age range for eligibility for children enrolling for the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme in September 2016 is 1 January 2012 to the 31 August 2013.

It is my understanding that the child in question will be eligible to apply for an ECCE place this coming September and can avail of 38 weeks of free pre-schooling under the ECCE programme up to the end of June 2017.

The eligibility criteria for national schemes must be strictly adhered to. Exceptions to these criteria can only currently be made in the event that a child has been diagnosed as having a special-additional need. Any request for an exemption from ECCE eligibility criteria must be supported by a medical assessment report from the HSE-medical specialist, specifying the child's special need and diagnosis. In such a case, an application should be made to the Early Years Policies and Programmes Unit of my Department, attaching a supporting medical report.