Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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642.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of the 7,922 children enrolled in the access inclusion model who are also enrolled in the national childcare scheme. [25168/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a programme of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower Early Learning and Care (ELC) providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE Programme and reap the benefits of quality early years care and education in any mainstream ELC service. AIM resources are allocated based on a child’s individual needs.

The AIM End-of-Year-Three evaluation was published in January 2024. The findings have informed an expansion of targeted AIM supports to children beyond time spent in the ECCE programme, in term and out of term from September 2024. The intent of the additional hours funding is to support ECCE-enrolled children with additional needs or a disability to access early learning and care outside of the ECCE programme if they wish to do so. It is intended that over time, all children with additional needs registered in ELC services will have access to supports under AIM. To this end, officials in this Department will also be considering enhancements to, and/or expansion of AIM to 0-3 year olds and then considering further extension to school aged childcare.

The number of children enrolled on the AIM programme as of 5 June, is 8,518, of which 2,651 are children also registered for NCS. In order to access AIM additional hours a child must have a National Childcare Scheme (NCS) claim in place.

The table below details the number of children in receipt of AIM supports who are also currently availing of NCS by AIM level and in total.

Please note that as there is an overlap between AIM levels, the number of children on each level does not add up to the total of unique children on the AIM programme.

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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643.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the full and first year cost to increase funding to the access inclusion model by 50% and 100% to facilitate children who remain in an early years and childcare setting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25169/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) currently operates in tandem with the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme and as such, provision of AIM supports are currently linked with ECCE participation and hours of operation. Up until now, a key support - additional funding to providers to enable a lower adult-child ratio – was allocated for the duration of the ECCE programme only (i.e. 3 hours per day, 5 days per week and 38 weeks per year).

The Budget 2024 allocation for AIM is €57.4 million already includes €7m for an expansion of AIM from September 2024 to ECCE aged children, outside of the current ECCE hours and during non-term time. The full year cost of this development will be €21m.

The additional funding will support an extension of AIM support from September 2024, meaning that children with a disability enrolled in the ECCE programme will now be fully supported to access and participate in early learning and childcare settings beyond the time they spend in that programme – both in term and out of term. Providers will be funded for up to a further 15 hours of capitation per week in term and for 30 hours per week out of term to enable a lower adult-child ratio.

As funding to extend AIM is already in the 2024 budget, the increase is calculated on the pre expansion amount and applied on a full year basis to avoid duplication. On this basis a 50% increase in funding would cost an additional €25m and a 100% increase would cost an additional €50m.

It is important to note that not all services provide or can facilitate provision outside of ECCE hours, and that not all families availing of AIM supports would desire such provision.

It is intended that over time, all children with additional needs registered in ELC services will have access to supports under AIM. To this end, officials in this Department will also be considering enhancements to, and/or expansion of AIM to 0-3 year olds and then considering further extension to school aged childcare.