Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2023
298. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education what steps are being taken to increase the number of early start places in the county area of the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Childcare Committee; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42262/23]
View answerThe Early Start programme was established in 1994 and is a one-year intervention programme designed to meet the needs of children aged between 3 years and 5 years who are at risk of not reaching their potential within the school system. It involves an educational programme to enhance overall development, help prevent school failure and offset the effects of social disadvantage.
Since the inception of Early Start, the early childhood education and care landscape has changed significantly with the introduction of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme in 2010, and its extension to a two-year programme in 2018. The ECCE programme is the national universal two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. The ECCE programme is under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and officials of my Department and its agencies co-operate closely with that Department, particularly in relation to Síolta and Aistear , the national quality and curriculum frameworks for early learning and care, and the initial professional education of Early Years Educators.
While the ECCE scheme is the national universal two-year pre-school programme available to all children, the Early Start programme continues to operate in primary schools in designated areas of urban disadvantage and has capacity for 1,620 children each year. Early Start units attached to primary schools are staffed by teachers and childcare workers. The programme opens each year for new child enrolments. There are currently no plans to expand existing units or to open new Early Start units.
