Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 June 2012
788 Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if a child takes up a free preschool year and cannot continue after a month because it turns out that the child is not yet ready for preschool, will that child’s free year be deferred until the following preschool year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26681/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 65,000 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. This means, for example, that 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 in September 2013.
The implementation of these age limits means that a proportion of eligible children, for example, children born between 2 February 2009 and 30 June 2009 can avail of the free preschool year in either September 2012 or September 2013. All other eligible children, with the exception of special needs children who can opt for a pro-rata arrangement over two years, have only one school year in which to avail of the programme.
Where a parent, having enrolled a child in the ECCE programme, subsequently decides that it would be more beneficial for the child to defer the pre-school year until the following year, s/he may apply for a deferral. Such applications require completion and submission of a Deferral form, and can only be made where the child will still fulfil the eligibility criteria for admission to the programme in September of the following year.
If the application to defer the pre-school place is approved, any capitation fees already paid to the service provider in respect of that child will be recouped from the service provider by the Department. It is necessary, therefore, for the parent to come to an arrangement with the service provider to repay the capitation fee in respect of any weeks in which the child has received the ECCE service. For this reason, the deferral application form must be signed by the service provider as well as the parent.
