Written answers

Wednesday, 20 July 2016

Department of Education and Skills

Early Childhood Care and Education

Photo of Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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119. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of implementing the early childhood care and education access and inclusion model in primary schools nationwide. [23151/16]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The new Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) programme of supports was announced on 15th June 2016 by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

AIM is a child-centred model, involving seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, depending on the needs of the child and the pre-school.

The supports include:

A new Inclusion Charter for the Early Years sector, alongside updated and strengthened Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Guidelines for Early Childhood Care and Education.

A new higher education programme for early years practitioners (LINC) which will commence from September 2016.

A new national specialist service which is based in the Better Start National Early Years Quality Development Service will provide expert advice, mentoring and support to pre-school providers from a team of 50 specialists in early years care and education for children with disabilities.

A new national scheme will provide specialised equipment, appliances and minor alterations which are necessary to support a child's participation in the ECCE programme.

A new national scheme will also provide additional capitation to pre-school providers where this is critical to fund extra support in the classroom and enable a child's participation in pre-school. It is estimated that only 1 to 1.5% of children in pre-school will require, and therefore be eligible for, this scheme of additional capitation.

Details of the supports which will be available under AIM can be found at www.preschoolaccess.iewhich contains comprehensive information on the access and inclusion model and on how to apply for the new schemes and supports.

Questions relating to provision of such services in pre-school settings should be addressed my colleague, the Minister for Children & Youth Affairs.

When children transition to primary school they can access supports, including additional resource and learning support teaching, access to special needs assistance and assistive technology where the needs are indicated in professional reports. These resources are allocated annually to schools by the National Council for Special Education which provides these resources in line with my Department's policies.

At present there are no plans to replace this model of support by introducing the AIM model in primary schools and accordingly it is not possible to provide an estimate of the cost of the introduction of this model in primary schools.

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