Local Senator James Carroll is encouraging Louth parents with children eligible for the free preschool year who have yet to register with their local preschool service or Louth County Childcare Committee to do so immediately.
“There is still time to register with your local preschool provider to avail of the new free preschool year. Children born between 2 February 2005 and 30 June 2006 are eligible to participate in the Early Child Care and Education (ECCE) scheme. If parents have not already enrolled their child, they should immediately contact either their local preschool service or Louth County Childcare Committee at 041-6859912 or at info@louthchildcare.ie”, James Carroll said.
“The cold snap, which has caused the closure of many primary and preschools has probably delayed the start of the ECCE scheme for most services. Therefore, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Barry Andrews TD will be as flexible as possible in accommodating late enrolments. The original date for participating services to make an electronic return with the children’s details was January 22nd. Recognising the current weather conditions, we will extend this date to January 29th. This will give parents an extra week to register with service providers, which they are asked to do by January 20th. In the event that parents are experiencing difficulty accessing a place, they should immediately contact Louth County Childcare Committee.”
Some participating services may be concerned that they will be financially penalised for not commencing the scheme this week. This is not the case. The Minister said, “we do not want parents and children taking risks because of pressures to attend preschool. In light of this, participating preschools will be paid for the days they were forced to close because of the inclement weather.”
Services will receive their first payment next week provided correct bank details have been supplied. No delay in payment is expected and as such there is no justification for services charging parents for what will be a free service.
“This new ECCE scheme is an historic step in the journey to develop a Government supported preschool system. The provision of a free preschool year to all children, regardless of income or circumstance, will enhance the social and educational development of our children.”
“It will give each child in the country an equal chance to arrive in Junior Infants with improved personal development, speech and language skills,” Senator Carroll concluded.
ENDS