Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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475. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of access and inclusion staff in place within Pobal's better start; the structure of same within Pobal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53005/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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AIM supports children with disabilities to reap the full benefits of free pre-school education. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience. AIM is a child-centred and evidence-based model, involving seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, based on the needs of the child and the pre-school setting. AIM was launched in June 2016 and is administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department.

AIM Level 4 provides access to mentoring and support for pre-school practitioners from a team of dedicated AIM Early Years Specialists to ensure that all children with disabilities can access and fully participate in preschool.

The team of the AIM Early Years Specialist Service, which are located in Pobal consists, of the following staff:

The Early Years Specialists work in 7 teams in 9 locations nationally.

In addition to the AIM Early Years Specialist team, Pobal also has responsibilities at other levels of AIM, most notably AIM Levels 1 (An Inclusive Culture), 5 (Equipment, Appliances and Minor Alterations Grants) and 7 (Additional Assistance in the Pre-School Room). The Pobal AIM team consists of 17.1 WTE staff: 1 team leader, 5 coordinators, 7.1 (WTE) administrators and 4 support officers.