Childcare a key priority

investment in childcare has both social and economic returns

Improves educational outcomes

increase allocation to €1.1 billion

Early childhood scheme will be eligible from the age of 3 to 5.5 or until they start school.

€15m for kids with disabilities to participate

Parents in low paid employment - 8,000 places in community care

Post removed, had not seen new rule.

Hi,
Can anyone help with the finer details of the Early Childcare Scheme mentioned in the budget. I have a child who missed out on this scheme this year because she was born 10 days after the cut off point which essentially means she can not avail of this scheme until next September as it currently stands.

Any ideas when this comes into effect and can anyone who missed out this year avail of this change.

Paul,

I stand to be corrected but I thought I read under new scheme that there are 3 registration dates, January, April and September. I assume this comes into play January 1st so hopefully she can be registered then?

Hi Paul, my son missed out this year by 2 weeks, I got my hopes up when the minister said "from now on", but looking on the dcya.gov website it appears this does not kick in until September 2016, which is so disappointing. Funny how they didn't highlight this in the budget yesterday. Link with details below.

hi,
yes it doesn't kick in until September 2016, so if you have a July/August 2011 Child you miss out. I have an April 2011 Child and I availed of the scheme last year (Sept 2014) with the intention of sending her to School in September 2015, but the age profile of the other Children in her class was way older so she is repeating the year in the pre-School. I got a bit excited thinking that I'd get it for the remainder of this academic year but not so.
Really don't see how it will work, are pre-schools going to have places suddenly available in January of each year for children that turn 3 in Sept-Dec...

Would much prefer to see them funding the 1st ECCE year properly. the 'voluntary contribution' that they expect is the same again as the subsity in alot of cases. Its not free but vastly underfunded.

It is frustrating that there is still no tax credit for working parents.

Thanks very much for all your advice. Really appreciate it as I couldn't find any details anywhere I looked. It seems im missing out again. Never seem to get a break with these budgets.

It would appear if your child is of age at the moment but waiting for ecce next year, there is a possibility that you can still register to join ecce now if space available. This means you'll get the two years free. Services looking at this currently if theyv Spaces to fill. No harm ringing around.

Thanks Sandals, would this apply to kids who just missed out by week or two? Might you have a link to any information - I think my little one attends the pre school class in the morning's of the creche he goes to, I just have to pay the full whack.

It's just information iv read on childcare posts...no movement due to ages, it's just parents and services with spaces who would be glad to fill them obviously. Article in today's indo re parents losing out as scheme not in till 2016.

Can I ask why you only "think" your little one is in paid preschool class,

For anyone with a child currently in on the free year but who will still be be under 5yrs 6months by June 16- I spoke to someone in the Dept yesterday and this was the response I got:

Children who are currently enrolled for the free pre-school programme (i.e. on the basis of the eligibility criteria which applied in September this year) will be able to continue in the programme in September 2016 - once they are not older than 5 years and 6 months at the end of the current pre-school year i.e. June 2017)

Click to expand...

So a great result for my house as we would have had to pay for pre-school next year (our child was born in June 12 meaning they'd only be 4yrs 2.5months in Sept 17.... so was just inside the date limit to start the free place this school year). We hoped with all the talk of the past few months that we just might fall in under any new 2nd year announcement and we have

Mar123/Sandals the current system in place still stands, i.e. if your child was not 3 by June 30th 2015 they cannot participate in the Scheme for the academic year of 2015-2016.

Delboy - I wouldn't be too sure that you will get an extra year if you are already availing from the Scheme; the following article states
'However, it emerged Wednesday that the new arrangements will only kick in from September 2016, effectively excluding many parents already in the scheme, who have already availed of their one year free entitlement under current rules..'
I'm not sure if this means people like me who used the scheme last year (2014-2015) but have not sent their child to School, - I have an April 2011 child so am now paying in full for another year of pre-school as I didn't send her to School in September (too young compared to the other children in the class). I did think that when the minister said 'from now on' we would be entitled to the subsidy for the remainder of this Academic year.
Or if it means people like you who are availing of it this year - can you be part of the new scheme next year under the new rules?

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/...l-not-activate-until-september-2016-1.2391641


I think pre-schools will have difficulty coping with the numbers, also a lot of pre-schools rely on full fee paying children to subsidise the ECCE program which is grossly undersubsidised.
The word 'free' really gets to me - none of the pre-schools in my area offer the scheme for free, they expect a top-up which in reality is neither anonymous nor voluntary.

I have it in writing from them that we'll qualify for the 2nd free year

The change announced in Budget 2016 means that, from September 2016, children will be able to register for free pre-school when they are aged 3, and will be able to remain in pre-school until they make the transition to primary school (provided they are not older 5 years 6 months at the end of the pre-school year i.e. the end of June).

The change to the pre-school programme announced in yesterday's budget take effect from September 2016.

Children who are currently enrolled for the free pre-school programme (i.e. on the basis of the eligibility criteria which applied in September this year) will be able to continue in the programme in September 2016 - once they are not older than 5 years and 6 months at the end of the current pre-school year i.e. June 2017)

Click to expand...

By end of the school year June 17, my kid will be a few weeks shy of their 5th birthday.
It will save us €250 x 10 months for the pre-school that we have a place in from Sept 16, so obviously very happy with that

Hi sorry,
just read this article - thats good for you.....

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/...t-help-parents-paying-for-preschool-1.2392257

“From now on, children will be eligible for free childcare from three years of age, up until they are five and a half, or until they start primary school,” Mr Howlin told the Dáil.

However, parents whose children have already received their free entitlement under the current scheme and who are now paying privately for preschool ahead of their child’s entry to primary school discovered that they will not benefit as the measure is not being introduced until September 2016, alongside the paternity leave proposal.

Children who have begun their free preschool this September will be able to continue into a second year unless they are moving on to primary school."

Thanks.
Yeah, confirms the response I got yesterday