Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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1238. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost of making available an extra hour of ECCE each day in the second year of preschool; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30382/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Early Learning and Childcare (ECCE) Programme is provided for 3 hours per day, 5 days per week over 38 weeks per year. All children can avail of two full years of the Programme.

The Deputy has requested the cost of providing an additional hour per day of the ECCE Programme for all children in their second year of the Programme.

To calculate this cost officials in my Department first calculated the proportion of children availing of ECCE who are on their second year.

In the 2024/25 programme year, 109,280 children were availing of the ECCE Programme. Of these children, 46,466 or 42.5% were in their second year of ECCE.

Budget 2025 provided €269.25m to fund the ECCE Programme. The cost for children in their second year was therefore estimated at €114.5m.

To estimate the cost of an additional hour per day for children in their second year, the total cost for children in their second year was divided by 3 to generate the cost of one additional hour per day at €38.2m per year.

It is important to note that this estimate does not account for likely growth in families availing of the second year of ECCE due to this entitlement. It should also be noted that ECCE service providers also receive grants for providing the Programme through Core Funding. This estimate does not account for the additional costs to the Core Funding Programme that would arise due to such a change.