Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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228. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the availability of preschool places for children with special needs throughout north Kildare; the extent to which augmentation is expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30320/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not provide funding to pre-school services other than in early intervention classes in recognised primary schools or special schools.

Supports for childcare, including pre-school education, are provided by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The principal vehicle for the delivery of pre-school education is the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which was introduced in January 2010 and provides for early learning in a formal setting to children in the year before they commence primary school.

Children with disabilities will now have better access to pre-school services under a new Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) programme of supports, which 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.

- In relation to the qualifications of early years practitioners, 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.ie which 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 to my colleague, the Minister for Children & Youth Affairs.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support students with Special Educational Needs, including Autism.

It is also the role of the NCSE to make appropriate arrangements to establish special classes in schools in communities where the need for such classes has been identified.

Children who are diagnosed with Autism may be enrolled in an Early Intervention class attached to a mainstream school from the age of three. Early Intervention classes are supported with a pupil–teacher ratio of 6:1 at primary level and also have Special Needs Assistant support normally amounting to 2 SNAs for a class of 6 children.  

Currently there are 6 Early Intervention Classes for children who are not yet school going age in County Kildare.

The NCSE has advised that they are continuing to engage with schools in the area referred to by the Deputy where there is an identified need for special class provision.