The Early Childhood Care And Education Scheme(ECCE) was introduced in 2010. Previous to that, parents had to pay for their children to attend any form of pre-school. (Me included!) So what a great scheme to announce in the budget of 2010.

Most recently, the 2018 budget brought in further positive changes that will come into effect September 2018. Those fully benefiting will be those born from 2015 onwards.

What is the ECCE?
The ECCE scheme provides early childhood care and education for children of pre-school age. At present, children are eligible for the ECCE scheme if they are aged over three years before the 1st of September, and not older than five-and-a-half years.

From September 2018, children will be able to access the scheme from the age of two-years-and-eight-months.

There are no exemptions to the lower age limit, however, if your child is over upper age limit but has special needs then they may be able to get an exemption.

How many hours does it include?
Creches, play schools and Montessori’s offer a set number of hours over a set period of weeks. The services can vary depending on the provider but generally, it works out at three hours a day, five days a week for the duration of the school year (38 weeks out of 52).

If your Montessori is in the creche your child attends and you still need full-time care, you, of course, must pay an additional fee but those three hours a day are free.

If your chosen provider offers 9-1 you may have to pay for the extra hour or you can choose to opt out. Similarly, your creche/Montessori may offer optional extras for trips or certain activities, again you may also opt out of these.

When can my child join?
Children were previously able to enrol in pre-school at three different points: September, January, and April. But, from September 2018, this is being reduced to a single entry point in September. 

For Example, In order for a child to be eligible to be enrolled for free pre-school on 1st September 2018, they must have been born between 1st January 2014 and 31st December 2015.

If you don’t want your child to go 5 days a week
Your child doesn’t have to attend for five days per week in order to avail of free pre-school. However, your pre-school provider must agree to take your child on a part-time basis. Bear in mind that if a parent, for example, enrols a child for three days per week, the pre-school provider will only be paid by Government for the days the child attends. A provider may not be able to find a child to take the place for the other two days a week, so this arrangement may not be financially viable for pre-school providers. A provider may prefer to keep the place for a child who attends pre-school five days a week. 

Exemptions from the age limit
If your child is over the eligibility age requirement due to special needs they may be able to get an exemption from the upper age limit for the ECCE Scheme. 

There are no exemptions to the lower age limit.

How you can apply:
To get a place for your child, you can apply directly to any playschool or creche. A list of participating services from your local City or County Childcare Committee. You will also need to provide a copy of your child's birth certificate or passport and PPS number.

 

Written by Laura Doyle staff writer at FFHQ who also blogs at www.lovelifeandlittleones.com.