Know Your Rights has been compiled by Kerry Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public…
Know Your Rights has been compiled by Kerry Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public… “You can avail of free childcare for your child through the Early Childhood Care and Education programme (ECCE) depending on your child’s age” says Ciara O’Gorman, Development Manager with South Munster Citizens Information Service.
“If your child is of pre-school age, you can get 15 hours of free early childhood care and education through the ECCE programme. Participating pre-schools must provide ECCE for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 38 weeks a year.
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If your child attends for extra hours, you must pay for the extra hours. You may get financial support from the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) towards the cost of childcare for the hours outside of ECCE.”
What are the age limits for ECCE?
“ECCE is available to children who have turned 2 years and 8 months by 31 August, and who are not older than 5 years and 6 months on or before 30 June of the programme year.
For example, if your child was born between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, they can attend ECCE for the following school years:
• September 2026 to June 2027
• September 2027 to June 2028.”
How do I apply for ECCE?
To get a place for your child, apply directly to a participating pre-school provider. You can:
• Get a list of participating services from your local City or County Childcare Committee (CCC)
• Find a list of contracted childcare providers on the National Childcare Scheme website
To apply, you need to provide a copy of your child’s birth certificate or passport, and their PPS number.
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I’ve heard about optional extras. What are they?
A pre-school provider may charge parents for optional extras, like food and activities. However, if you choose not to get optional extras, the pre-school provider must provide other activities for your child while optional activities take place.
You can’t be charged extra for things that are normally provided as part of a pre-school, such as arts and crafts supplies. If you no longer want an optional extra that you previously agreed to, you must be allowed to cancel it. Pre-school providers cannot prioritise ECCE places based on who pays for optional extras.
• Deirdre Vann Bourke, Kerry Citizens Information Manager, said: For anyone needing information, advice or have an advocacy issue, you can call a member of the local Citizens Information team in Kerry on 0818 07 7860, they will be happy to assist and make an appointment if necessary.
The offices are staffed from Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm. Alternatively you can email on tralee@citinfo.ie or log on to www.citizensinformation.ie for further information.
