2930. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the changes in eligibility and points of entry since the ECCE commenced and the Programme for Government commitment to evaluate options to amend the ECCE eligibility criteria; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61700/26]

The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides up to two years of pre-school free of charge to families and has supported over 1 million children to attend pre-school for three hours per day over 38 weeks per year since its introduction in 2010.

The age eligibility criteria for ECCE have evolved over the lifetime of the programme. When first introduced in 2010, eligibility was limited to children aged between 3 years and 2 months and 4 years and 7 months and provided one year of pre-school. In 2016, the eligibility criteria for the Programme changed with children eligible to enrol in the Programme at age three and remain in Programme until they transitioned to primary school. Three enrolment points were introduced – September, January and April and the average number of funded weeks under the Programme increased to 61 weeks (ranging from 38 weeks to 88 weeks depending on the child’s date of birth, age when first enrolling in the Programme and parental choice with regard to school starting age).

Owing to a number of factors, including challenges with the multiple entry point for children, parents and providers, the age eligibility changed again in 2018 to the current criteria, which provides two full years of ECCE for children starting at 2 years and 8 months to an upper age limit of 5 years and 6 months.

The ECCE programme is a pre-school programme based on the National Practice Frameworks - Aistear and Síolta. The current ECCE eligibility criteria were set based on a number of considerations, including national experience and a review of international practice. The lower age range is based on Tusla regulations for minimum adult-to-child ratios for children in pre-school settings. These regulations take account of the needs and developmental stages of children such as toilet training and sleeping arrangements. The current arrangements also ensure that all children have the same entitlement of 2 years of ECCE regardless of their birth date, whereas with previous arrangements this was not always the case.

In line with the Programme for Government commitment to “evaluate options to amend the ECCE eligibility criteria”, Department officials are considering potential changes. Shaping the Future: the Early Years Action Plan Phase 1 was published on 17th December 2025. Shaping the Future sets out measures to achieve key Programme for Government commitments on the affordability, quality, and accessibility of early learning and childcare (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC). The Action Plan adopts a phased approach that enables action to be taken in 2026 while allowing adequate time for a broad public consultation on longer-term actions.

Phase 2 actions, which will be undertaken from 2027 through to the end of 2029, will be published in Q4 2026. Before Phase 2 actions can be specified in line with the Programme for Government commitment, a broad public consultation process is currently underway. Any changes to the ECCE Programme will need to be carefully considered and grounded in robust evidence. This includes assessing the impacts on children’s development, families, providers and educators, as well as ensuring consistency, equity and sustainability across the programme.