Since September 2018, all children within the eligible age range of minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months to 5 years and 6 months are eligible for a full two programme years on the ECCE programme.
The upper age limit of 5 years and 6 months for ECCE was set in consultation with the Department of Education and ensures that children transition into primary school with their peers.
Overage exemptions are available in certain circumstances for children who will be over 5 years and 6 months by the end of the ECCE term, which is generally in the end of June. Parents can get Information on how to apply for an overage exemption from their local County Childcare Committee, details of which can be found on www.myccc.ie.
My Department does its best to ensure, in so far as possible, the equitable treatment of all children and families who engage with the ECCE Programme. ECCE is not a mandatory scheme and parents can choose to send their children to one or two years of ECCE, or not to send them at all.
Children with additional needs can receive supports to attend ECCE through the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), a programme of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access ECCE in mainstream pre-school settings and can participate fully in the pre-school curriculum alongside their peers.
AIM is a child centred model of supports and the model is designed to be responsive to the needs of each individual child in the context of their pre-school setting and will not require a formal diagnosis of disability.
More details about AIM can be found on aim.gov.ie
Parents may be able to receive help with childcare costs under the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). Information for parents on eligibility and subsidies can be found on the website www.ncs.gov.ie, or parents can call the NCS Parent Support Centre on 01 906 8530 from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
