Some more detail from Budget 2016

Some more details being announced by DCYA at a briefing this evening (Tuesday), see below:

Free Preschool

Will begin from September 2016

Children will be able to start pre-school at age three, and to remain in pre-school until they start primary school or are 5 and a half.

Children will be able to enrol in pre-school at three different points in the year – September, January and April. Capitation to providers will be fully restored to €64.50 basic, €75 higher.

Children with Special Needs

Very welcome allocation of €15m in 2016, possibly increasing to €33m in 2017.

Training for Inclusion Co-ordinators.

Small capitation increase for particular services who provide fully inclusive practice.

We have no further details what this will look like.

Quality

Under the heading “quality” €3.5m is promised for the Learner Fund, Siolta, Inspections and Audits.

Affordability

New single Affordable Childcare Programme to commence in 2017. Project team to begin work on that in 2016. We don’t know what this will look like.

Expansion of the CCS scheme

CSS will be expanded by approximately 8,000 places

Previously only available community/not-for-profit services, these placed will be open to private providers too, “most particularly where no community/not-for-profit providers are available”

Afterschool Provision

Allocation of €3m for “community/not-for-profit and private” for afterschool facilities using “existing school and other accessible community facilities”.