Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)
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412. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline a clear timeline for the evaluation of options to amend the ECCE eligibility criteria which is currently underway; and if flexibility to reintroduce multiple entry points such as January and April to ensure that "two years of free preschool" is a reality for all children, regardless of the month they were born, is being actively considered. [23250/26]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides up to two years of pre-school free of charge to families and has supported over 1 million children to attend regulated preschool for three hours per day over 38 weeks per year since its introduction in 2010.

The age eligibility criteria for ECCE have evolved significantly over the lifetime of the programme. When first introduced in 2010, eligibility was limited to children aged between 3 years and 2 months and 4 years and 7 months and provided one year of pre-school.

In 2016, the eligibility criteria for the Programme changed with children eligible to enrol in the Programme at age three and remain in Programme until they transitioned to primary school. Three enrolment points were introduced – September, January and April and the average number of funded weeks under the Programme increased to 61 weeks (ranging from 38 weeks to 88 weeks depending on the child’s date of birth, age to first enrol in the Programme and parental choice with regard to school starting age).

Owing to a number of factors, including challenges with the multiple entry point for children, parents and providers, the age eligibility changed again in 2018 to the current criteria, which provides two full years of ECCE for children starting at 2 years and 8 months to an upper age limit of 5 years and 6 months.

The ECCE programme is a pre-school programme based on the National Practice Frameworks - Aistear and Síolta. The current ECCE eligibility criteria were set based on a number of considerations, including national experience and a review of international practice. The lower age range is based on Tusla regulations for minimum adult-to-child ratios for children in early learning and childcare settings. These regulations take account of the needs and developmental stages of children such as toilet training and sleeping arrangements.

The current arrangements also ensure that all children have the same entitlement of 2 years of ECCE regardless of their birth date, whereas with previous arrangements this was not always the case.

An independent review of the ECCE Programme was completed in 2024. This review examined how the programme is currently functioning and identified potential enhancements, informed by extensive engagement with parents, children, ECCE providers and educators. The review included consideration of the current age eligibility criteria and the potential for greater flexibility within these criteria. This review found that the younger age range in pre-school might struggle with the ECCE programme ratios, which is commonly 1 adult to 11 children in ECCE rooms.

In line with the Programme for Government commitment to “evaluate options to amend the ECCE eligibility criteria”, Department officials are considering potential changes. Shaping the Future, the recently published Early Years Action Plan Phase 1 report, notes that the potential to extend the ECCE free pre-school programme and amend the age-eligibility criteria will be included in consultations and analysis under Phase 2 of the Action Plan. All changes to the Programme will require a thorough review of the evidence and consideration of the impacts on children, parents, and preschool providers.

Any changes to the ECCE Programme must be carefully considered and grounded in robust evidence. This includes assessing the impacts on children’s development, families, ECCE providers and educators, as well as ensuring consistency, equity and sustainability across the programme.