3101. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the access and inclusion mode (AIM) has been extended beyond ECCE years; the range of services which are made available within ECCE under AIM; the range of services that are now on offer for other childcare settings; and the way in which the number of children served under each element of the programme has grown as a result of the change. [63887/26]

The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a programme of supports designed to ensure that children with additional needs can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Since its introduction in 2016, AIM has had a major impact on the lives of children with additional needs and the overall quality of early learning and care.

In that period over 43,000 children have received more than 97,000 targeted supports across over 5,000 early learning and care services nationwide. 9,127 children received targeted AIM supports in programme year 2025/26

AIM has not yet been extended beyond the ECCE programme; however, officials in the Department are engaging in a comprehensive policy development process during 2026 to extend AIM to children aged under three in future years. It is also intended to give consideration at a later date to an extension of AIM for children attending school-age childcare (SAC).

It is critical that both of these policy responses be strongly evidence-based and reflective of the needs of children. This requires tailoring of AIM and differentiation of approaches for each age cohort. Funding will also be required through the annual budget process.

The goal of AIM is to empower Early Learning and Care (ELC) providers to deliver an inclusive preschool experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE Programme and reap the benefits of high-quality early learning and care through universal and targeted supports.

The main supports are grouped into universal or targeted supports. Universal supports are designed to create a more inclusive culture in Early Learning and Care settings, through training courses and qualifications for staff. Where universal supports are not enough to meet the needs of an individual child, targeted supports are available to ensure the child can meaningfully participate in pre-school.

AIM universal supports (Levels 1-3 of AIM) benefit the whole Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) environment by empowering providers to create a more inclusive culture within their settings. This is achieved through Continuous Professional Development (CPD), an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Charter and Guidelines, and a Level 6 qualification in inclusion – the Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years (LINC) Programme.

Levels 4-7 of AIM provide targeted supports that parents or guardians and the pre-school provider can apply for to help meet an individual child’s needs.

AIM level 4 provides expert early years educational advice and support from the Early Years Specialists at Better Start who work collaboratively with parents, pre-school providers, and with other professionals to develop inclusive learning environments in pre-schools. They also support the creation of an access and inclusion plan for individual children to ensure their needs are met.

AIM Level 5 provides funding for specialised equipment, appliances or small capital grants towards minor building alterations.

AIM level 6 provides for therapeutic and health interventions in collaboration with the Health Service Executive (HSE).

AIM Level 7 support provides additional funding to ELC providers who have a child requiring extra support in an ECCE service. AIM Level 7 funding acts to either reduce the child-to-adult ratio in the room or to fund an extra staff member as a shared resource with other children in the setting. In September of 2024, Level 7 funding was expanded to include for an additional 3 hours during term time, or an additional 6 hours during non-term time.

More information can be found at www.aim.gov.ie.