Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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265. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to the ECCE scheme and the discrepancy that arises for children born near the end of September (details supplied) who cannot avail of the full two years of free child care, the way in which this situation will be rectified in order that the scheme is equitable to all children and to allow their parents to avail of the full two years of child care. [30381/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Providing free pre-school for children from the age of 3 was a key recommendation of the Expert Advisory Group on the Early Years Strategy. Expansion of ECCE was also given significant consideration by the Inter-Departmental Group on Future Investment in Childcare which reported in July 2015. Senior officials from the Department of Education and Skills contributed to the discussions on an upper age limit for the scheme, taking a child centred approach.

The initial Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme had one entry point (September) from when children could begin pre-school, and children had to be aged between 3 years and 2 months and 4 years and 7 months by the September to avail of the free pre-school year (i.e. 38 weeks). The programme was then expanded beginning in September 2016 by reducing the age of eligibility to 3 years and by increasing the number of entry points to three throughout the programme year (September, January and April). This means that children can begin to avail of their free place on the pre-school programme as soon as possible after they reach the age of 3.

The upper age limit for the free pre-school programme is set at 5 years and 6 months, meaning that if a child is going to be older than 5 years and 6 months at the end of a pre-school year (i.e. end of June) they are not eligible to avail of free pre-school in that year. This upper age limit was set in consultation with the Early Years Policy Unit of the Department of Education and Skills to comply with legislation relating to the age range of children beginning primary school and to ensure that children transition into primary school with their peers. Therefore the maximum number of free pre-school weeks to which a child is entitled depends on their date of birth, and the age at which they start primary school. On average, children will benefit from 61 weeks, a significant increase on the previous provision of 38 weeks. It is estimated that access to the average 61 weeks of ECCE reduces the cost of childcare by €4,000 per child.

The eligibility for ECCE from age three using multiple entry points was also a recommendation in Right from the Start, the Report of the Expert Advisory Group on the Early Years Strategy, published in 2013. The objective of this recommendation was to ensure that all children could access free pre-school from as near as possible after their third birthday until they started primary school. This would ensure that children and families had access to care and education in these formative years.

My Department does its best to ensure, in so far as is possible, the equitable treatment of all children and families who apply for childcare funding under the ECCE Programme. In order to ensure objectivity and fairness it is essential that clear rules exist for the scheme and that they are applied in a fair manner. The rules for all the Department’s childcare schemes are clearly published to ensure transparency and consistent application. An essential component of the scheme’s rules is an eligibility date to ensure that the scheme can be administered and budgeted for in an appropriate manner.