Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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195. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of a child vis-a-vis access to the ECCE scheme that will reach three years of age on 18 January 2019. [3765/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal free pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. It provides children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school. The programme provides for three hours per day, five days per week over 38 weeks per year (averaging at a total of 61 weeks) and the programme year runs from September to June.

Eligibility under this programme currently commences from the entry point following a child reaching age 3 years. From September 2018 eligibility will commence from the entry point following the date when the child reaches age 2 years and 8 months and will expand to 76 weeks/two pre-school years. 

In the example referred to by the Deputy the child will be 2 years and 7 months on commencement of the 2018-19 programme year in September 2018 so the earliest date of eligibility for the ECCE programme will be September 2019 with full entitlement to two pre-school years.