Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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916. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if funding will be considered for SNAs in an afterschool setting for type 1 diabetic children (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63184/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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In line with the requirements of the Child Care Act 1991 and the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Registration of School Age Services) Regulations, 2018, those wishing to operate a school-age childcare service are required to register with the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate.

The Department is currently reviewing the legislation underpinning school-age childcare services and developing comprehensive school-age childcare regulations. As part of this work, the Department recently concluded a public survey on the regulation of school-age childcare and early learning and care services.

Also related to this question the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) was introduced in 2016 to ensure that children with disabilities can fully access and participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. The ECCE Programme is a universal two year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range of 2 years and 8 months to 5 years and 6 months. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible. A child must not reach 5 years and 6 months on or before June 30th of each programme year.

AIM provides a suite of universal and targeted supports across seven levels, tailored to meet the needs of children and pre-school settings. Importantly, access to AIM support does not require a formal diagnosis.

AIM does not operate a Special Needs Assistant (SNA) model. Instead, AIM Level 7 support provides additional funding to pre-schools where a child requires extra assistance. This funding enables providers to reduce the child-to-adult ratio in the pre-school room or to fund an extra staff member as a shared resource with other children in the ECCE setting. In recognition of best practice in this area, this support is designed to improve inclusion and ensure meaningful participation of all children in the room.

In line with commitments under First 5: A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, an independent evaluation of AIM has been completed. The findings are informing the extension of AIM beyond the ECCE programme and identifying potential enhancements to the model.

The first phase of this expansion commenced in September 2024, extending AIM supports for ECCE-age children for up to three additional hours per day during term time, and up to six additional hours outside of term time.

Work is now underway on a tailored model to extend AIM to children under three years of age, ensuring it meets the specific needs of this younger cohort.

Consideration will also be given, at a later stage, to extending AIM to children attending school-age childcare.

It is critical that any extension of AIM supports to this age cohort is evidence-based and reflective of need. This will require a specific tailoring of AIM and differentiation from the current approach.

Parents and carers experiencing challenges in accessing early learning and childcare supports are encouraged to contact their local City or County Childcare Committee, who can provide advice and guidance on available options in their area. Contact details are available at: www.gov.ie/childcarecommittees.