Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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554. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to widen the scope, in terms of qualifying age for the child, of the second free preschool early childhood care and education year; if a person (details supplied) qualifies for the second year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18011/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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While changes to the age criteria for the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme were announced in Budget 2016 last October, they do not come into effect until this coming September. From September 2016, children will be eligible to start the ECCE Programme when they turn age 3, and can continue in the ECCE Programme 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 the ECCE Programme will increase the number of children benefitting from about 67,000 to around 127,000 in a given programme year. From September 2016 children will be able to enrol in the ECCE Programme at three different points in the year namely September, January and April. This means that parents can enrol their child in the ECCE Programme as soon as possible after their child reaches age 3.

Children born on 1 January 2012 and who are currently availing of the ECCE Programme may apply again from September for a further 38 weeks of the ECCE programme as they will meet the criteria of not being older than 5½ years at the end of the relevant pre-school year i.e. end June. However, some parents may decide to send their child to primary school in September as ECCE is not a mandatory programme. Children born prior to January 2012 will not be eligible to avail of the ECCE programme in September 2016.

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.