The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal programme available to all children within the eligible age range. The programme is provided for three hours per day, five days per week over 38 weeks per year and the programme year runs from September to June. A child must have turned 2 years and 8 months on or before 31 August in order to be eligible.
Children born between 1st January 2016 and 31st December 2017 are eligible for ECCE beginning on 24 August 2020.
Some parents may prefer for their children to begin ECCE at a later stage if they feel that they are not ready for preschool and these parents may therefore opt for one year of ECCE only. This decision is entirely at the discretion of the parent/s or guardian. There is no automatic provision for delaying entry to preschool by a year and still availing of two full years of ECCE.