According to the details supplied by the Deputy, the child in question is not within the eligible age range to avail of the ECCE programme at this time, but will be eligible from September of this year. AIM supports are currently only available to children participating in the ECCE programme. Pobal has advised that no application for AIM supports has yet been made on behalf of the child in question. Applications for AIM usually open in the May preceding enrolment to ECCE and I would advise the Deputy to ask the family to make contact with Better Start before or around this time as it is advisable that applications for AIM supports are made in good time to ensure that the relevant supports are in place when required.
The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a programme of supports designed to enable children with a disability to access and meaningfully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. It was introduced in June 2016 and is administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department. AIM is a child-centred model, involving 7 levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, based on the needs of the child in the context of the pre-school setting they are attending.
