Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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670. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of applications received by her Department for a second early childhood care and education scheme year starting in September 2016 from parents of children born before 1 January 2012. [14373/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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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.

Applications for access to the ECCE scheme are normally handled directly between the parent, the provider and Pobal, who administer the programme on behalf of my Department. My Department only becomes involved in certain circumstances.

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, under current rules, 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 the supporting medical report.

I understand that, as of 2 June 2016, my Department has received 156 applications for children to avail of a second free pre-school year in September 2016 and whose date of birth is before 1 Jan 2012. Of these, 123 were approved and 25 were not approved. Eight applications remain pending awaiting further documentation. Once documentation is received, these will be processed without delay.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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671. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to consider providing greater flexibility in providing an exemption for early childhood care and education scheme eligibility criteria for second year placements for children born before 1 January 2012 to facilitate children who in the opinion of their school principal, are not deemed socially or emotionally ready, to progress into school. [14374/16]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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672. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to allow a child (details supplied) to access a second year early childhood care and education scheme placement on the grounds that the child is not socially or emotionally ready to progress into school. [14375/16]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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675. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to allow a person (details supplied) to access a second year early childhood care and education placement on the grounds that the child is not socially or emotionally ready to progress into school. [14415/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 671, 672 and 675 together.

In Budget 2016 it was announced that, from September 2016, children will be eligible to attend free pre-school from the age of 3 years until they start primary school (once the child is not older than 5 years and 6 months at the end of the pre-school year i.e. end June). From September 2016, children who are over the age of 4 years and 8 months at the beginning of the relevant preschool year, will not be eligible to avail of the ECCE programme. The only exception to this rule is an exemption on the grounds of disability or special needs, the criteria for which are set out below. The age range for eligibility for children enrolling for the programme in September 2016 is 1 January 2012 to the 31 August 2013.

Exemptions to this rule can currently be made in the event that a child has been diagnosed as having a special/additional need. Current policy requires that 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. At present, this requirement is necessary to maintain a clear and standard basis for applying exemptions and is not intended to undermine the view of a parent or teacher in relation to a child's need.

The following specialist/ medical reports are accepted as supporting documentation when applying for an exemption under the ECCE programme:

Speech and Language Therapist

Occupational Therapist

Senior Psychologist

Physiotherapist

Paediatrician

Neurologist

Psychiatrist

Psychotherapist

Cardiologist

Oncologist

Opthalmologist

Otolaryngologist (ENT specialist)

Gastroenterologist

My understanding is that the above is not an exhaustive list and a report from a medical practitioner or healthcare professional who is qualified to diagnose a disability is acceptable.

In November 2015, my predecessor Dr. James Reilly, launched a new model to support children with a disability to fully participate in the ECCE programme. Work in relation to the detailed development and implementation of this model is well advanced, with a view to introducing the model from September 2016 onward. The new Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) will not focus on medical diagnosis but rather on the developmental level of children with a disability, their functional ability, their strengths and their needs. On this basis, my Department intends to review the current process for providing exemptions to ECCE eligibility criteria, i.e. a medical-based assessment. However, this review will need to build on the current work in relation to the development of the new model of supports and will take some time to complete.