Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 April 2012
1164 Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding the early childhood care and education scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18292/12]
View answerThe Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme was introduced in January 2010 and provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. About 66,000 children, that is approximately 95% of children in the year before school, are availing of the free pre-school provision at this time.
Children qualify for the free pre-school year where they are aged more than 3 years 2 months and less than 4 years 7 months at 1 September in the relevant year. Children born between 2 February 2008 and 30 June 2009 will qualify for the free pre-school year in September 2012 and children born between 2 February 2009 and 30 June 2010 will qualify for the programme in September 2013. There are no exceptions for children who are below the qualifying age.
The objective of the ECCE programme is to make early learning in a formal setting available to eligible children in the year before they commence primary school. To achieve this, services participating in the pre-school year are expected to provide age-appropriate activities and programmes to children within a particular age cohort. For this reason, it is appropriate to set minimum and maximum limits to the age range within which children will qualify.
As the child referred to by the Deputy was born in November 2009, she will be eligible for the free pre-school year in September 2013.
