Eamon Ryan
Question:670. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the cost of extending funding for pre-school from one to two years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32154/18]
View answerThursday, 12 July 2018
Questions (670)
Written answers
Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) was introduced in January 2010. The objective of the Programme is to make early learning in a formal setting available to eligible children in the year (s) before they commence primary school. On introduction, ECCE covered one academic year or 38 weeks.
From September 2016, ECCE was expanded so that children were eligible to start free pre-school once they had turned 3 and they could continue in ECCE until they started primary school (once the child was not older than 5 years and 6 months at the end of the relevant pre-school year i.e. end June). To facilitate this expansion, three registration intake windows were introduced (allowing children to be registered, as they became eligible, in September, January and April). The average uptake increased from 38 weeks to 61 weeks.
From September 2018, all children meeting the minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months will be eligible for a full two programme years on the ECCE scheme. This further enhancement delivers fully on a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government that is good for children and families.
The number of children benefitting from ECCE in any year has increased significantly as a result of these expansions; as did the correlating cost of funding the expansions, as demonstrated in the following table.
In summary, the additional cost of moving from one year of ECCE to 2 years of ECCE is currently estimated as €130m.
|
Academic year |
No. of children registered |
Total cost (full-year) |
Increase from 2015/16 |
|
2015/16 |
67,000 |
€179.1m |
|
|
2016/17* |
120,813 |
€262.9m |
€83.8m |
|
2017/18* |
118,794 |
€261,3m |
€82.2m |
|
2018/19** |
114,115 |
€309,1m |
€130m |
* The registrations figure quoted for 16/17 and 17/18 refers to the peak value; in those years there were three intake models in place, and by dint of this model, each child benefitted from an average of 61 weeks across the two eligible years.
The new enrolment model, which will come into effect from September 2018, will revert to a single intake; and the registrations figure quoted above for 2018/19 refers to the number of registrations my officials estimate will benefit from ECCE across the full 38 weeks of the academic year. The further expansion to ECCE this September will increase eligibility to a maximum 76 weeks.
** The figures quoted with respect to 2018/19 are estimates and these incorporate the 7% increase in ECCE capitation rates agreed in Budget 2018 (which come into effect from September 2018).