John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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471. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number and details of childcare facilities in County Galway providing the access and inclusion model support to children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31485/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a programme of supports designed to ensure that children with additional needs can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Since its introduction in 2016, AIM has had a major impact on the lives of children with additional needs and the overall quality of early learning and care. In that period over 35,000 children have received more than 80,000 targeted supports across over 4,800 early learning and care services nationwide.

The goal of AIM is to empower early learning and care 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 learning and care in any mainstream service participating in ECCE. AIM resources are allocated based on a child’s individual needs.

Below is a breakdown of the services in County Galway for the programme year 2024-25, split between community and private services, and the number of children supported through AIM for each category.