Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 July 2018
676. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children with a disability that were facilitated with exemptions for additional time on the free preschool year; and the reason for same. [32083/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy's question refers to the number of children who were granted Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) overage exemptions for the programme year 2017/18.
482 children were granted an overage exemption during that time period. (The peak number of children registered during this programme year was over 120,000.)
The Secretary Generals of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Education and Skills have jointly agreed to consider the evidence in relation to the overage exemption for children with disabilities and to lead a consultation process on the review of this policy. This policy review is required in light of developments since ECCE and the exemption were first introduced in 2010, namely the expansion of ECCE to two full years from September 2018, the introduction of the Access and Inclusion Model to ECCE services, and developments in resourcing for children with disabilities in the primary school sector.
The National Disability Authority has been requested to assist with this process and it is due to report shortly. My Department and the Department of Education and Skills continue to work together to ensure that early years and school age education policies are consistent and meet the best interest of children.
