From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth 

Published on 22 October 2024

New figures show how the government’s free pre-school programme – the Early Childhood Care and Education or ECCE programme – has transformed early learning experiences and development opportunities for young children in this country, according to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman.

The pre-school programme provides young children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school. When introduced in 2010, children could for one year of free pre-school, which was delivered over 38 weeks of the year in line with the school year – September-June. Since 2018, children can qualify for two years of pre-school, without charge to parents.

With over million children – or a fifth of the population – enrolled in the programme since it was first introduced, uptake rates in excess of 96%, State investment topping €3 billion and barriers faced by children in accessing the programme removed through additional supports provided through the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) and Equal Start, the Minister says the programme has provided important learning and development opportunities to all young children, in particular children with a disability and children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The programme has also been behind a dramatic shift in school starting age, with the proportion of four-year-olds in junior infants down to 16% in 2023/24 from 40% in 2009/10 and has been a key impetus for professionalising the sector. Prior to the introduction of the ECCE Programme, there was no minimum qualification for staff working in the sector. Today, the minimum qualification for staff delivering the programme is NFQ Level 5 for Educators and NFQ Level 6 for Lead Educators.

Work now underway to introduce a statutory entitlement to the programme will build on this strong foundation, according to Minister O’Gorman and will be informed by the findings from an Independent Review of the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECCE) Programme, conducted by Stranmillis University College, Belfast, which the Minister also published today.

Welcoming these latest figures and the findings from the Review, Minister O’Gorman said:

“These figures I have released today and the findings from the review by Stranmillis University College show the success story the ECCE programme has become.

“With more than 1 million enrolments since the programme was first introduced and uptake rates in excess of 96%, it is clear this programme has been embraced wholeheartedly by children and their families and by wider society.

“Moreover, with 40% of families reporting that they would not have been able to enrol their child in pre-school had it not been for the ECCE programme, it is clear that this programme has altered early learning experiences and development opportunities for all children and children experiencing disadvantage in particular.

“I am grateful to providers and early years educator across the country who are behind these figures and this success, and I wish to acknowledge their crucial role in transforming children’s lives through education and care.

“Work to introduce a statutory entitlement to the ECCE programme is now underway, which will build on this strong foundation. This work will be informed by the findings from the Independent Review of the ECCE programme, which I published today.”