Seán Crowe
Question:240 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the fraction of pre-primary school children of eligible age which the 1,700 children engaged in Early Start represents. [28489/04]
View answerTuesday, 16 November 2004
Questions (184, 185, 186, 187, 188)
Seán Crowe
Question:241 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the details of the involvement of parents in the Early Start programme, andof transition year, vocational training andYouthreach trainees. [28490/04]
View answerSeán Crowe
Question:243 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason the Early Start programme has remained in its pilot phase, after ten years in existence. [28492/04]
View answerSeán Crowe
Question:244 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the provision which has been made in the Early Start programme to include the children of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. [28493/04]
View answerSeán Crowe
Question:253 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the locations of the 40 schools in which the Early Start programme operates; the basis on which these schools were selected for this pilot project; the criteria used to measures the designated disadvantage; and if these are full units or half units, catering for 60 or 30 children respectively. [28625/04]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 240, 241, 243, 244 and 253 together.
The Early Start pre-school project was established in 40 primary schools in designated areas of urban disadvantage in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Drogheda and Dundalk during 1994 and 1995. The aims of Early Start are to expose young children to an educational programme which would enhance their overall development, prevent school failure and offset the effects of social disadvantage.
Early Start is a one-year, pre-school intervention aimed at children from selected designated areas of disadvantage. Children must be between the ages of three and four on the 1 September of the year they are enrolled. The Early Start project is designed to cater for the needs of children, including those with disabilities, who are most at risk of not reaching their potential in the education system and the school must give priority to the children who are most at risk. This would also include children at risk from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker families.
There are 56 teachers and 56 child care workers employed in 16 full units and 24 half units and there are a total of 1,680 places in Early Start centres. A full unit caters for a total of 60 children and a half unit caters for 30. The approach taken in Early Start is to establish groups of 15 pupils in existing primary schools in disadvantaged areas, with each class being run by a primary school teacher and a qualified child care worker. While the Early Start curriculum emphasises the development of cognitive and language skills, due regard is also had to personal and social development.
Parental involvement is a key element in the Early Start project. Parents are encouraged to become involved in the planning, organisation and implementation of the work in each centre. This is intended to build their own capacity to influence and become involved in their children's education.
Post-primary students from local schools may also spend part of their time working in the centres as part of their work experience during transition year and-or Youthreach and vocational preparation and training programmes. This will allow them to acquire practical skills in child care and will also establish role models in retention and achievement in education in the local community.
The Early Start service has not been expanded since 1995. Regarding the future development of early childhood education provision for disadvantaged children, my Department, as part of a detailed review of educational disadvantage programmes, is currently exploring how such provision should best be delivered in the future. I am particularly concerned to ensure that any future actions by my Department in this area are based on a collaborative approach with other Departments involved in the overall early childhood care and education sector. Meeting the overall objective of providing the best possible service to the communities and children involved requires that any educational provision by my Department takes account of child care measures under the remit of other Departments. A list of Early Start pre-school projects is being forwarded to the Deputy.