Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour)
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489. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to examine the case of a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67557/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with additional needs or a disability can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. Access to AIM is based on the needs of the individual child, in the context of the preschool setting, and does not require a diagnosis.

AIM Level 7 support enables providers to reduce the child-to-adult ratio in the preschool 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.

The ‘First 5’ whole-of-government strategy (2019) committed to the phased extension of AIM, a commitment reaffirmed by the findings of an independent end-of-year-three evaluation. Participants in the evaluation supported proposals that AIM be scaled up and were keen to see the extension of AIM support to hours outside the ECCE entitlement. Based on the evaluation AIM is now being extended on a phased basis as funding becomes available.

As a first step in this extension, all AIM targeted supports have, since September 2024, been available to ECCE children beyond the time that they spend in the ECCE programme, all year round. Children can now access these supports for up to an additional 3 hours per day during the ECCE term and up to 6 hours per day outside of the ECCE term (in holiday periods).

The child referenced is currently in receipt of 15 hours of AIM Standard per week while attending the ECCE programme and is also in receipt of an additional 15 hours of AIM Plus per week for hours attending outside of ECCE.

For the weeks that ECCE is not available 30 hours of non-term funding have been approved for the child.

The Pobal Early Years Specialist has previously engaged with both the service provider and the legal guardian, clarifying that the maximum allowable hours under the AIM programme have been awarded to the child.

It is intended that over time, all children with additional needs in early learning and childcare services will have access to AIM supports. The next phase of expansion focuses on a redesign of AIM for children under three, to meet the specific needs of this younger cohort. Consideration will then be given to an extension of AIM for children attending school-age childcare.

An action plan has been developed to respond to other areas for improvement including increasing awareness of AIM, streamlining the application process and strengthening support for autistic children. A key step taken in this regard is the 2024 publication of Introductory Guidelines to Support the Inclusion of Autistic Children in Early Learning and Care, School-Age Childcare and Childminding Settings, with the support of ASIAM.

While the Department oversees AIM, early learning and childcare providers are private entities and responsible for their own admissions policies, which are outside the Department’s remit. 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/childcarecommittee.