Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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1652. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the fact that children are missing out on child care in view of the fact that they must be three years of age to avail of a place and child-care providers will not hold places for children that turn three years of age during the school term post September; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37561/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Early Childhood and Education (ECCE) Programme was expanded from September 2016 so that children may start free pre-school from age 3, and can continue in free pre-school once the child is not older than 5 years and 6 months at the end of the relevant pre-school year.

Three different points in the year - September, January and April – are in place to maximise access for these children within the overall eligibility parameters.

An upper age limit in free pre-school was set by the Inter-Departmental Group on Future Investment on the advice of the Department of Education and Skills. Limiting the diversity in age ranges in primary school is considered to be generally in the best interest of children, in relation to peer interaction in junior infants, as well as other educational considerations.

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 of the Department’s childcare programmes are clearly published to ensure transparency and consistent application. An essential component of a programme's rules is an eligibility date to ensure that the programme can be administered and budgeted for in an appropriate manner.

Childcare providers are free to determine their own operational and enrolment policies. If parents are having difficulties finding an Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) place in their area they should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee who will be in a position to assist parents in sourcing a place.

I am keenly aware of the pressures on the sector with regard to availability of places. My Department provided €8.4million for its 2017 Early Years Capital funding programme. This represents a doubling of the €4m provided under the 2016 Early Years Capital Funding Programme. This funding has been made available to early years providers under three strands, the largest of which (€4.2m) will go towards enabling early years services to provide additional childcare places. The maximum grant available under Strand 1 is €50,000 which will allow for the full cost of a minor expansion project in an early years service or the purchase of a temporary structure. 89 projects have been approved for funding under Strand 1. In addition to this, my Department has also provided €4 million for its 2017 School Age Childcare Capital programme. This funding has been made available under three strands, and it is expected to create an additional 5,000 places. The maximum grant available under Strand A is €20,000 which is for the creation of new School Age childcare services, the maximum grant available under Strand B is €10,000 which is for the expansion of existing school age childcare services. A total of 113 projects have been approved for funding under Strand A while 112 projects have been approved for funding under Strand B.