Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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156. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she has considered reopening the Early Start Programme in order that new schools can apply. [62665/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Early Start programme was established in 1994, and is a one-year intervention to meet the needs of children aged between 3 years and 5 years who are at risk of not reaching their potential within the school system. It involves an educational programme to enhance overall development, help prevent school failure and offset the effects of social disadvantage.

Since the inception of Early Start, the early childhood education and care landscape has changed significantly with the introduction of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme in 2010, and the extension of this scheme to a two-year programme in 2018. The ECCE scheme is under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and officials of my Department and its agencies co-operate closely with that Department, particularly in relation to Síolta and Aistear, the national quality and curriculum frameworks for early learning and care, and the initial professional education of Early Years Educators.

While the ECCE scheme is the national universal two-year pre-school programme available to all children, the Early Start programme continues to run in 40 primary schools in designated areas of urban disadvantage, and has capacity for 1,620 children each year. Early Start units attached to primary schools are staffed by teachers and child care workers. The programme opens each year for new child enrolments.