Guide to the ECCE Programme and Administrative Procedures
Most of the information in this Guide relates to administrative procedures and is primarily
aimed at service providers. However, parents will find some sections helpful, particularly the
information of Optional Additional Charges (Section 2.10), Eligibility Criteria (Section 3), the
procedures which must be followed when moving children from one service to another
(Section 6), and the rules governing the waiving of the upper age limit and the two year prorata option for children with special needs (Section 7). The forms referred to in the text are
available for download at Appendix 1.
In this document, “the Department” means the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
“Local CCC” means your local City or County Childcare Committee. A list of the CCCs,
together with their telephone numbers, can be downloaded at Appendix 2.
Contents
1.
Overview of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme
2.
Applications by service providers to enter or re-enter the programme
2.1
Minimum size of service
2.2
Staff Qualifications
2.3
Higher Capitation Fee
2.4
Staff Ratios
2.5
HSE Compliance
2.6
Contract
2.7
Electronic Fund Transfer
2.8
Tax Clearance
2.9
Outstanding Debts to the Department
2.10 Optional Additional Charges
2.11 Closure of services, moving premises, or transfer of ownership
3.
Eligibility Criteria
4.
Electronic Returns
5.
Payments
6.
Changes in enrolment details after the Electronic Returns have been submitted
6.1
New/Late Entrants
6.2
Transferring from one Service Provider to another
6.3
Settling-In Period
6.4
Child ceasing to avail of the ECCE programme
6.5
Transfer from the ECCE programme to the CCS programme, and vice versa
6.6
Transfer from the ECCE programme to the CETS programme
6.7
Transfer from the CETS programme to the ECCE programme
6.8
Change in level of service
6.9
Deferral of ECCE place to the following year
6.10 Appeals
7.
Applications to waive the upper age limit and for pro-rata arrangements
1. Overview of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)
Programme
The free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme was
introduced with effect from January 2010. The programme is administered by the Childcare
Directorate of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, with the local operation of the
programme managed by the City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs).
Children qualify for the free pre-school year where they are aged more than 3 years 2 months
and less than 4 years 7 months at 1 September in the relevant pre-school year. This means
that children born between 2 February 2008 and 30 June 2009 (both dates inclusive) will
qualify for the free pre-school year in September 2012, and children born between 2 February
2009 and 30 June 2010 (both dates inclusive) will qualify in September 2013.
The objective of the ECCE programme is to make early learning in a formal setting available to
eligible children in the year before they commence primary school. To achieve this, services
participating in the pre-school year are required to provide age-appropriate activities and
programmes to children within a particular age cohort. For this reason, it is necessary to set
minimum and maximum limits to the age range within which children will qualify to participate
in the programme.
Both community and commercial service providers can apply to participate in the ECCE
programme. The object of the programme is to benefit children in the key developmental
period by providing a free pre-school year in the year before they start primary school.
The free pre-school year is delivered on the basis of 3 hours per day, 5 days per week, 38
weeks per year. It is not mandatory that children attend every day but, where they do not,
the capitation fee will be reduced on a pro-rata basis.
Payment under the ECCE programme is by way of capitation fees which are paid directly to the
service provider. A capitation fee is payable in respect of each eligible child enrolled in the
free pre-school year, on a pro-rata basis if applicable. A higher rate of capitation is payable in
respect of certain pre-school services with more highly qualified staff.
It is a fundamental principle of the scheme that the pre-school year is available free to
parents, and all participating services are obliged to meet the costs of the free pre-school year
out of the capitation fees. Services may, however, charge parents for additional services
provided, including additional hours and additional activities, provided that certain rules are
followed in relation to such charges.
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2. Applications by service providers to enter or re-enter the
programme
The deadline for applications for entry or re-entry to the ECCE programme from
September 2012 is 30th March 2012. Services which are already participating in the
programme will be sent a Re-Entry Application form by their local City/County Childcare
Committee (CCC). This form must be completed and returned to the CCC by 30th March
2012. Services which are not currently participating in the programme but wish to enter
should contact their local CCC to request an application form. This form must be completed
and returned to the CCC by 30th March 2012.
The CCC carries out an initial appraisal of each application and liaises with the local HSE Preschool Inspector regarding the service’s regulatory compliance. The CCC will compile and
collate all relevant information in relation to applications and, provided the HSE requirements
are met and the CCC has no reservations, the CCC will recommend the application. The
collated information and hard copies of the applications are returned to the Childcare
Directorate.
When received by the Childcare Directorate, the applications are examined for (a) staff
qualifications, (b) notification to the HSE, (c) Tax Clearance, and (d) outstanding debts to
the Department. If everything is in order, the applications are submitted for approval of the
contract.
2.1
Minimum size of service
Services are expected to have a minimum enrolment of at least 8 eligible children to
participate in the programme, and a service that does not have this level of participation has
no entitlement to be funded under the programme. Exceptions to this minimum requirement
will be considered where, for good reason, a service which is an appropriate setting for the
pre-school year has (a) an enrolment of at least 8 children of whom at least 3 qualify for the
programme and the remainder will qualify in the following year, or (b) is a smaller service
which has an enrolment of not fewer than 5 childrenin their pre-school year.
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2.2
Staff Qualifications
Pre-school leaders in the programme must, by September 2012, hold a nationally accredited
major award at Level 5 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) (or equivalent) in
childcare/ early childhood care and education.
A nationally accredited major award at Level 5 is currently accredited by the Further Education
and Training Awards Council (FETAC) but will in future be accredited by the new Qualifications
and Quality Assurance Authority. A major award at Level 5 has 8 component (minor) awards,
i.e.
* Four mandatory component awards related to the required skills and knowledge needed for
practice in early childhood care and education settings, e.g. Child Development, Early
Childhood Education, Working in Childcare
AND
* Two general component awards (mandatory), one being work experience/practice-related
and another drawn from a list of core skills areas, e.g. Communications, Information
Technology
AND
* Two component awards drawn from a pool of elective subjects which may relate to specific
areas of practice in early childhood care and education, e.g. working with children with
additional needs.
For more details of the structure of Level 5 awards visit the FETAC website.
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2.2.1 Qualifications that are equivalent to a nationally accredited major
award at Level 5
There are two types of qualifications that fall into this category. These are:
(a) Legacy awards made by Irish awarding bodies prior to the establishment of the National
Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)
(b) Awards made by international awarding bodies
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2.2.2
Legacy awards
This term refers to awards in Childcare made by the National Council for Vocational Awards
(NCVA) or FÁS. These bodies made awards at Levels 1, 2 and 3 and these are now placed on
the NFQ at Levels 4, 5 and 6. Therefore, if you have an award certificate issued by NCVA or
FÁS for a level 2 Major award, i.e. all required elements have been completed, this is
recognised as equivalent to a Major Level 5 award.
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2.2.3
International qualifications
Many staff in ECCE settings in Ireland have undertaken programmes of study leading to
awards accredited in the United Kingdom. In many cases, the awarding bodies that accredited
the awards have gone through processes to establish the equivalence of their awards with
Irish awards. The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) has current responsibility
for the recognition of international awards in Ireland and more information on this can be
found on www.nqai.ie or www.qualrec.ie .
The NQAI will be subsumed into the new
Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority.
Qualifications from the UK can be also checked online at the Children’s Workforce
Development Council qualification database at www.cwdcouncil.org.uk. In general, if a UK
award has been made at Level 3, it is equivalent to a Level 5 award in Ireland.
NOTE: The NQAI will not comment on the relevance of the award for the ECCE programme,
only the level to which it is equivalent in Ireland. The Childcare Directorate reserves the right
to determine the relevance of the award.
Qualifications from other countries can be checked with the National Qualifications Authority of
Ireland. For details of the process of qualification recognition see www.qualrec.ie
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2.2.4
Interim Measure relating to qualifications
During the period up to September 2012, pre-school practitioners who had achieved nonnationally accredited qualifications in a relevant discipline or who had not achieved a major
award were accepted as pre-school leaders for the ECCE programme if their qualifications
covered the specified core knowledge areas of Child Development, Early Childhood Education,
Working in Childcare, and Caring for Children 0 – 6, AND they had at least two years
experience of working in a position of responsibility with children in the 0 to 6 age group. This
was on an interim basis only. From September 2012, in order to be accepted for in the ECCE
programme, pre-school leaders must hold a nationally accredited major award at FETAC Level
5 (or equivalent) in childcare or early childhood care and education.
We fully appreciate that some staff may still be in the process of completing courses as this
deadline approaches. In such cases, where the service can demonstrate that a pre-school
leader has substantially completed a programme of learning leading to a major award, a
flexible approach will be taken and where all other criteria have been met, contracts for the
programme will be renewed. This flexible approach will be taken only in respect of services
already participating in the programme. All new services applying to participate in the
programme from September 2012 must have pre-school leaders with full qualifications as
outlined above.
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2.3
Higher capitation fee
A higher capitation fee is payable to pre-school service providers where all pre-school leaders
delivering the pre-school service hold a bachelor degree in childhood/early education
(minimum of Level 7 on the NFQ or equivalent) and have 3 years experience working in the
sector, and where all pre-school assistants in the service hold a relevant major award in
childcare/early education at level 5 on the NFQ or its equivalent.
To apply for Higher
Capitation please use ECCE form 10 – Application for Higher Capitation
Not all Level 7 or 8 awards are acceptable as qualifying for the higher capitation fee. In order
for an award to qualify, it must include significant content in core knowledge areas such as
child development 0-6 years and early childhood education theory and practice. For example,
secondary school teaching qualifications are not acceptable as they do not cover these core
knowledge areas.
As with lower level awards, international awards at higher level may be recognised as meeting
the qualification criteria. The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland can advise on the
equivalent level of the award on the Irish NFQ (www.qualrec.ie). However, the Childcare
Directorate reserves the right to determine the relevance of the content of the award.
It is stressed that the higher qualified staff attracting the higher capitation rate must work
directly with the children at all times during the ECCE sessions. If this rule is not observed,
services are in breach of their contractual obligations, and will lose the higher capitation rate.
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2.4
Staff Ratios
From September 2012, new staff ratios will apply in respect of the pre-school session element
of services for service providers participating in the ECCE Programme. This will also affect the
space ratios and sanitary accommodation requirements.
The minimum number of pre-school leaders and assistants in the free Pre-School Year service
will be as follows:
Up to 11 children: 1 pre-school leader
12-22 children: 1 pre-school leader and 1 pre-school assistant
23-33 children:
2 pre-school leaders and 1 pre-school assistant
34-44 children: 2 pre-school leaders and 2 pre-school assistants
and so on.
For each maximum group size of up to 22 children in an ECCE setting there must be at least 1
pre-school leader who meets the qualification requirements outlined above (i.e. minimum NFQ
Level 5 or equivalent).
The staff ratios outlined above apply to the sessional pre-school element of the service only,
and only where all of the children in question are within the eligible age-range (i.e. where the
children are between the ages of 2.5 years and 6 years).
Outside of the pre-school session, providers must apply the staff ratios in respect of full-time,
part-time or sessional services as outlined in the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2)
Regulations 2006.
Space/area ratios per child
In order to allow for the implementation of the new adult:child ratios, it is proposed that a
new space/area requirement of 1.818m2 per child will be applied. This will allow service
providers to cater for additional children as set out below:
Current number of children/places in a setting
Additional children/places under new arrangements
Fewer than 10
0
10 - 19
1 additional place
20
Up to 2 additional places
The space/area requirement per child in all other instances remains unchanged.
Sanitary Accommodation
Where service providers are in a position to apply the new adult:child ratios outlined above,
the number of WC/WHBs required will also change in line with the new ratios, i.e. for every 11
toilet-using children there must be 1 toilet and 1 wash hand basin.
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2.5
HSE compliance
Participating pre-school services are required to be notified to the Health Service Executive
(HSE). A list of all applicants for entry or re-entry to the programme is forwarded by the CCC
to the local Pre-School Inspector. The Inspector will advise the CCC where an applicant is not
notified to them. In addition, where a pre-school service is being prosecuted by the HSE for
non-compliance with the Pre-School Regulations, the HSE will advise the Childcare Directorate
of the position. A service which has been closed for reasons of child welfare and protection, or
which has been successfully prosecuted, may not be admitted to the programme. Where
these circumstances apply to a service already participating in the programme, the contract
may be terminated.
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2.6
Contract
A list of all the applicant services who meet the requirements for entry to the programme will
be submitted for approval of contract.
Two copies of the programme contracts will be issued
to approved applicants. The applicant is required to sign both copies of the contract and
return them to their local CCC. In the case of commercial providers, the contract must be
signed by the owner of the service. In the case of community providers, including School
Boards of Management, the contract must be signed by a member of the Board of
Management.
The CCCs collate all the signed contracts and return them to the Childcare Directorate. Both
copies of the contracts are signed by an authorised signatory in Childcare Directorate. One
copy is returned to the applicant and the other is placed on the applicant's file. In general,
this process is completed by the end of July each year. However, a later date may be
accepted where the Childcare Directorate considers this appropriate.
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2.7
Electronic Fund Transfer
Payments under the ECCE programme are made via electronic fund transfer. To facilitate this,
service providers must advise the Childcare Directorate of their bank account details using
ECCE Form 8 – New Applicants EFT Form. If a provider changes his or her bank account for
any reason, s/he must notify the Childcare Directorate as soon as possible, using ECCE Form 9
– EFT Form, Change in Bank Details.
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2.8
Tax Clearance
Services are required to demonstrate tax compliance by providing a valid, up-to-date Tax
Clearance Certificate (TCC) from the Revenue Commissioners when returning their application
form to the CCC. The TCC must be in the name of the provider or the service; certificates in
the name of another person will not be accepted. Services participating in the programme are
responsible for ensuring that a renewed TCC is provided to the Childcare Directorate when it
falls due.
Where a service is awaiting a TCC at the time of application to enter the programme, this
should be noted on the application form. Contracts will not be entered into with service
providers who cannot prove their tax compliance. No payments in respect of ECCE services
will be issued in the absence of an up-to-date Tax Clearance Certificate.
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2.9
Outstanding Debts to the Department
Each application is checked against the Childcare Directorate's database to confirm whether
there is an outstanding debt due from the provider in respect of the ECCE programme, and
contracts may not be entered into with services who have outstanding debts. Where a
contract is issued to such services, the debt will be automatically deducted from future
payments due.
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2.10 Optional Additional Charges
It is a fundamental principle of the ECCE programme that participating service providers must
operate the pre-school provision free to parents in return for the applicable capitation fee, and
parents should be given access to the service where their child only attends the pre-school
element. However, service providers may charge parents for optional additional services as
follows:
* hours which are additional to the free Pre-School Year requirement. In the case of a full or
part-time service, the service provider will offer additional hours to the pre-school provision
which they will charge for. In the case of a sessional service provider, an additional 30
minutes per day may be offered as an optional addition which can be charged for. A part-time
service provider can offer up to 2 hours per day as an optional addition which can be charged
for.
* optional additional services can also take the form of various one-off or on-going activities
or services such as outings, specific teaching resources such as dance or music, and food, but
must not include activities which would generally be regarded as a normal part of a pre-school
service, e.g. general arts and crafts activities.
In all cases, service providers must ensure that parents are aware that their agreement to
additional hours or to any optional charge is not compulsory, and that agreement to additional
hours or optional charges is not a condition of initial or continued enrolment. In additional
appropriate programme-based activities must be provided to children not participating in an
optional activity where such activities take place during the required period of pre-school
provision.
Booking deposits may be taken from parents provided that the required deposit does not
exceed four times the weekly capitation fee applicable to the service, and provided it is repaid
to parents by the end of October 2012 (or October 2013 in the case of the pre-school year
2013/2014).
The service provider may seek voluntary donations from parents, provided that such donations
are not a condition of enrolment in the ECCE programme, and are anonymous.
The Guide to completing the ECCE fees policy, which will be sent to participating service
providers by the local CCC, includes details relating to the rules governing optional additional
charges and voluntary donations.
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2.11 Closure of services, moving premises, or transfer of ownership
Closure of service
Where a participating pre-school service closes in the course of a pre-school year, the provider
must notify the Department and the local CCC immediately. The CCC will advise in relation to
placing the children in another service and the completion of transfer forms. Any funding paid
to the closing service for the provision of the pre-school year for a period beyond the date of
closure must be repaid to the Department. Capitation fees in respect of any children
transferring to a new service will be transferred to the new service with effect from the date
the child commences in that service.
Moving premises
Where a participating pre-school service moves premises in the course of a pre-school year,
the provider must notify the Department and the local CCC immediately. The Department and
the CCC will require details of the new address and any changes in other contact details, such
as telephone number or e-mail address. A new contract will issue to the provider. As a new
reference number will be assigned to the service, transfer forms must be completed in respect
of all children in the service, even where all of the children are transferring to the new
premises. The transfer forms must be returned to the Department.
Change of Ownership
Where there is a change of ownership of a service in the course of a pre-school year, this
change must be notified to the Department and the local CCC as soon as possible. A Change
of Ownership form (ECCE Form 12 – Change of Ownership Form) must be completed,
requiring input from and the signatures of both the original owner and the new owner. In
addition, the new owner must complete an ECCE application form and be approved for entry to
the programme. Both forms will be available from the CCC. On approval, a new contract will
be issued to the new owner. As the new owner will be assigned a different reference number,
transfer forms must be completed in respect of all children in the service, and returned to the
Department.
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3. Eligibility Criteria
Children qualify for the free pre-school year where they are aged more than 3 years 2 months
and less than 4 years 7 months at 1 September in the relevant pre-school year. This means
that children born between 2 February 2008 and 30 June 2009 (both dates inclusive) will
qualify for the free pre-school year in September 2012, and children born between 2 February
2009 and 30 June 2010 (both dates inclusive) will qualify in September 2013.
The objective of the ECCE programme is to make early learning in a formal setting available to
eligible children in the year before they commence primary school. To achieve this, services
participating in the pre-school year are required to provide age-appropriate activities and
programmes to children within a particular age cohort. For this reason, it is necessary to set
minimum and maximum limits to the age range within which children will qualify to participate
in the programme.
There are no exceptions to the lower age-limit.
The upper age limit of 4 years 6 months may be extended where a child is not in a position to
commence primary school until s/he is more than 5 years 7 months of age, due either to the
enrolment policy of the local school or because s/he has been assessed as developmentally
delayed. Applications for an extension of the upper age limit will be examined on a case-bycase basis (see Section 7 of this Guide for more details).
Please note that under the Education and Welfare Act 2000 all children must be enrolled in a
primary school by the time they reach their 6th birthday. Therefore, a child who will reach the
age of 6 in the course of the pre-school year commencing September 2012 will not be
permitted to participate in the ECCE programme. Parents should contact their local primary
school or Special Education Needs Organiser (www.ncse.ie).
Each eligible child is entitled to one free pre-school year, which must be availed of in one
continuous provision (e.g. from September 2012 to June 2013). Children with special needs
may avail of a pro-rata provision over two years, provided they fulfil certain conditions (see
Section 7 of this Guide for more details).
The eligibility of each child enrolled in the ECCE programme will be verified through the
Department of Social Protection by reference to the child’s date of birth and Personal Public
Services Number (PPSN). It is in the interest of service providers to request proof of a child’s
date of birth and PPSN, as any errors in these details on the electronic return will result in
payments being delayed while the details are being validated manually. Proof of a child’s
PPSN can take the form of a copy of an official document or card showing the child’s name and
PPSN, e.g. a Drug Payment Scheme card, a Medical Card, or a letter from the Department of
Social Protection.
The Department of Education and Skills provides for an Early Start programme for pre-school
children at risk of educational disadvantage. Eligible children may be enrolled in either the
Early Start programme or the ECCE programme. Children are not eligible to be enrolled in
both programmes.
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4.
Electronic Returns
Applicants who have entered into contract for the programme will receive a Returns
Information Pack, normally in August. This pack contains blank Parent Declaration forms /
letters, instructions for completing and submitting the return, and the Service Declaration
Form (which contains the e-form password and User-ID). Services are required to distribute
the letters and forms to parents early in September, to be returned to the service by a
specified date.
The service must then make an electronic return to the Childcare Directorate in respect of all
the children attending the ECCE programme, using the information collected. This information
includes details of each child’s date of birth and Personal Public Service Number (PPSN).
The date by which the electronic return must be submitted will be indicated in the Returns
Information Pack.
The completed Parental Declaration forms and the completed Service Declaration form must
be returned to the Childcare Directorate as soon as possible following submission of the
electronic return and after the service has confirmed with the local CCC that the electronic
return has been received by Childcare Directorate.
The electronic returns from services are collated and examined by the Childcare Directorate.
The PPSNs of the children included on the return are sent to the Department of Social
Protection for verification of the dates of birth.
On return from the Department of Social Protection, the verified data is transferred to the
ECCE database. The level of funding due to each service is calculated, and each service is
sent (by e-mail) a list which includes details of the children included in their return, the level
of service for each child, and the status of their verification. This process is normally
completed by the end of October each year.
However, if a child has been registered by a service under this programme, but never actually
attended the service, Childcare Directorate should be notified and no payment will be made in
respect of that child. The deposit received from the parent should cover any loss to the
service.
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5.
Payments
Because the actual amount due in respect of capitation fees for the first term of the pre-school
year will not be available until at least the end of October each year, an advance payment to
services is made in late August. The advance payment covers the capitation fee for the first 8
weeks of the September term. In the case of services which participated in the programme
during the previous year, the advance payment is calculated (as a maximum) on the basis of
an 8 week payment for the number of children enrolled the previous year. In the case of
services new to the programme, the advance payment will be limited to an 8 week payment in
respect of up to 5 children.
Following verification of the data provided in the electronic returns, a balancing payment is
issued. This payment covers the total amount due to the service for the first pre-school term
based on the number of children actually attending the service, and verified by the
Department of Social Protection as eligible for the programme, minus the advance payment
already made and minus any overpayment carried forward from the previous contract period.
This balancing payment is usually made before the end of October.
Payment in respect of the January term is issued as early as possible in January; payment in
respect of the April term is issued in early April.
Details of the pre-school terms and the expected payment dates for the ECCE contract period
commencing in September 2012 will be on this website www.dcya.gov.ie closer to the time.
Service providers should note the following:
* Payments will not be made to services where the tax clearance certificate provided is out-ofdate; it is the responsibility of the service provider to ensure that a current TCC has been
submitted to Childcare Directorate.
* The main term payments may not include adjustments in respect of children moving into or
out of the service for any reason. These adjustments have to be processed manually, and
may not have been processed when the main term payment is calculated, which is usually
about two weeks before the payment issues. Where an additional payment is due to providers
in respect of a transfer, this will be paid as soon as possible. Where a decrease in payment
applies, this amount will be deducted from future payments due.
* Where it is not possible to deduct overpayments from future payments due within a
particular contract period (i.e. if the funding due to the provider will be insufficient to recover
the overpayment), service providers will be required to repay the amount by refunding the
funds directly to the Childcare Directorate. Contracts will not be issued to providers in respect
of future contract periods where outstanding overpayments have not been refunded, or where
arrangements for repayment have not been agreed with the Childcare Directorate.
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6. Changes in enrolment details after the Electronic Returns have been
submitted
6.1
New/Late Entrants
Where a child joins the pre-school service after the beginning of the September term, and has
not been included on the electronic return, a new entrant application form must be completed
(ECCE Form 1 – New Entrant Form). The completed form, which requires input from both the
service provider and the parent, must be sent to the Childcare Directorate, together with a
copy of the child’s birth certificate or passport and a copy of official proof of the child’s PPSN
(i.e. a copy of an official document or card showing the child’s name and PPSN, e.g. a Drug
Payment Scheme card, a Medical Card, or a letter from the Department of Social Protection).
When the details have been checked and verified, the additional payment due to the service
provider will issue as soon as possible.
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6.2
Transferring from one Service Provider to another
Parents may choose to transfer their children from one service to another at any stage in the
pre-school year. However, in order to exercise this option, the parent must give written notice
of the transfer request to the first provider at least 4 weeks in advance of the date of
transfer. Parents are required to complete a transfer form (ECCE Form 2 – Transfer Form)
which requires input from the manager of the existing service and the manager of the new
service, and which must be signed by both managers as well as the parent. The form must
then be submitted to the Childcare Directorate so that the capitation fee for the child can be
transferred. The capitation fee will be transferred from the first service provider to the second
service provider with effect from the date of the transfer. For this reason, both the first and
the second service providers should ensure that the correct date of transfer is recorded on the
form. Any capitation fee already issued to the first service provider in respect of that child for
a period following the date of transfer will be deducted from future payments due to that
service.
If the form has not been fully and properly completed, Childcare Directorate will contact both
service providers to confirm the details of the proposed transfer. As this may delay processing
of the transfer request, parents are advised to ensure that the transfer form is fully completed
and signed by all relevant parties.
If a child is registered as transferring into a service under the ECCE programme, but never
actually attends that service, Childcare Directorate must be notified and no payment will be
made in respect of that child.
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6.3 Settling-In Period
Cases may arise where a parent, having enrolled his/her child in the ECCE programme with a
particular service provider, may subsequently decide either that the child is not ready to start
pre-school, or that s/he would prefer to enrol the child with a different service provider. To
facilitate this, a “Settling-In Period” is permitted at the beginning of each contract period.
During this period a parent may remove his/her child from a service and either defer the place
to the following year or transfer the child to a different service provider. In such
circumstances, the following arrangements relating to capitation fees will apply:
* The Settling-In Period covers the first four weeks of the September term only. This means
that, in relation to the September 2012 contract period, the Settling-In Period finishes on
Friday 28th September.
* If the parent decides to defer the ECCE place to the following year, a deferral form (ECCE
Form 7 – Deferral Form) must be completed, signed both by the parent and the service
provider, and returned to the Childcare Directorate. The arrangements regarding the
capitation fee are as outlined in section 6.9.
* If the parent decides to transfer the child to another service provider within the Settling-In
Period, a transfer form (ECCE Form 11 – Settling-In Transfer Form) must be completed,
signed and dated by all parties ON OR BEFORE FRIDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER 2012 and returned
to the Childcare Directorate. The form should be marked “Settling-In Period”. In these
circumstances, the first service provider will receive a capitation fee in respect of that child for
the first four weeks of the term, with the second service provider receiving the capitation fee
for the remainder of the term.
If a child is registered with the new service but never actually attends that service, Childcare
Directorate must be notified and no payment will be made in respect of that child.
Once the Settling-In Period has concluded, all transfers must be dealt with in accordance with
the procedures outlined in section 6.2 above.
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6.4
Child ceasing to avail of the ECCE programme
Where a child leaves a service and is not enrolled in a new service, the provider must contact
the Childcare Directorate within 4 weeks to advise them of the position, by completing and
returning ECCE Form 3 – Child leaving ECCE Programme. This situation will normally arise
where the child is leaving the country, or starting primary school. Where the circumstances
are known to the service provider, they should be noted on the form.
Where such circumstances arise, any ECCE funding already paid by the Childcare Directorate
in respect of those children will be deducted from future payments due. The amount of the
deduction will depend on the date on which the child ceased attending the pre-school service.
Where a child enrolled in the ECCE programme has not attended the service for four
consecutive weeks for any reason other than the circumstances outlined in the previous
paragraphs, the service provider must contact Childcare Directorate immediately to notify
them of the position by completing and returning ECCE Form 3. If the child returns to the
service to resume participation in the ECCE programme, payment will be restored following
submission by the service provider of a completed and signed ECCE Form 13 – Child returning
to ECCE programme. The date from which the payment is restored will be determined by the
Department, and will depend on the circumstances of the case. If the the parent wishes to
defer the child’s place to the following year, this will be subject to the procedures outlined in
section 6.9.
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6.5 Transfer from the ECCE programme to the Community Childcare
Subvention Programme (CCS), or from the CCS to the ECCE programme
There is no entitlement to transfer from the ECCE programme to the CCS, or vice versa in the
course of the September to August period other than in the circumstances described in
paragraphs 6.5.1, 6.5.2, and 6.5.3 below.
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6.5.1. Settling-In Transfer from the ECCE programme to the CCS programme
Where a child has commenced the ECCE programme in September, but the parent decides to
avail fo the CCS programme instead, a CCS Form 4 – Settling In Transfer form must be
completed by the ECCE service provider and the parent. Such transfers must take place
before 28th September 2012. A CCS Parent Declaration form must also be completed by the
parent during the CCS snapshot week. If the child is not registered on the CCS electronic
return, the transfer will not be permitted.
If the child will still be within the eligible age-range to avail of the ECCE programme in the
following pre-school year, ECCE Form 7 – Deferral form (see section 6.9 below) must be
completed in order for the child to be permitted to avail of the programme the following year.
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6.5.2. Transfer from the CCS programme to the ECCE programme between
January and March 2013
A CCS to ECCE transfer, from a CCS service provider to an ECCE service provider will be
permitted between 2nd January 2013 and 29th March 2013 provided the CCS provider agrees
to the CCS funding in respect of that child being stopped with effect from the date of transfer.
If eligible, the child will then be permitted to participate in the ECCE programme. A CCS Form
6 – CCS to ECCE transfer form must be completed and returned to Childcare Directorate
together with a copy of the child’s birth certificate or passport, and official proof of the child’s
PPSN. If the CCS provider refuses the transfer request, no ECCE funding in respect of that
child can be paid to the new provider.
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6.5.3. Transfer from the ECCE programme to the CCS programme between
January and March 2013
An ECCE to CCS transfer, from an ECCE service provider to a CCS service provider will be
permitted between 2nd January 2013 and 29th March 2013 under the following
circumstances. The CCS provider must have a vacancy for a replacement child. The ECCE
service provider and the parent must complete an ECCE Form 3 – Child leaving ECCE
programme. A CCS Form 2 – Replacement Child Form (see CCS Guide) must also be
completed and forwarded, together with the necessary documentation, to Childcare
Directorate by the CCS service.
If the child will still be within the eligible age-range to avail of the ECCE programme in the
following pre-school year, ECCE Form 7 – Deferral form (see section 6.9 below) must be
completed in order for the child to be permitted to avail of the programme the following year.
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6.6 Transfer from the ECCE programme to the Childcare Education and
Training Support (CETS) programme
Where a child who was included in the ECCE programme return takes up a new place under
the CETS programme, either within the same childcare service or in a different service, his or
her entitlement to ECCE should immediately be transferred to CETS by completing and
returning ECCE Form 4 – Transfer from ECCE to CETS Form to the Childcare Directorate. If
the CETS placement ceases, and the child is to be transferred back to the ECCE programme,
ECCE Form 5 – Transfer back to ECCE from CETS must be completed and returned to the
Childcare Directorate.
Where the child is taking up a CETS place in a different childcare service, the childcare service
where the child had been enrolled for the ECCE programme is entitled to continue to receive
the ECCE capitation fee for a period of four weeks after the commencement of the CETS
place. Where the child is taking up a CETS place in the same childcare service, the ECCE
capitation will cease with effect from the date the CETS place starts.
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6.7
Transfer from CETS programme to ECCE programme
If a child is in a CETS place from the start of the pre-school year and the placement ends at a
later point in the pre-school year, he or she may enter the ECCE programme in the same
service or a different service on submission to Childcare Directorate of the completed ECCE
Form 1 – New Entrant Form.
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6.8 Change in level of service
Where a parent wishes to increase or decrease the number of days a child is attending per
week, ECCE Form 6 – Change in Level of Service Form must be completed and returned to
Childcare Directorate. The resulting increase or decrease in capitation will be applied to the
service provider’s payments with effect from the date on which the change in level of service
took place, as noted on the form and signed off by both the service provider and the parent.
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6.9
Deferral of ECCE place to the following year
Where a parent, having enrolled a child in the ECCE programme, subsequently decides that it
would be more beneficial for the child to defer the pre-school year until the following year,
s/he may apply for a deferral. Such applications require completion and submission of ECCE
Form 7 – Deferral Form and can only be made where the child will still fulfil the
eligibility criteria for admission to the programme in September of the following
year. I the deferral application is approved, any capitation fees already paid to the service
provider in respect of that child will be recouped from the service provider by the
Department. For this reason, the deferral application form must be signed by the service
provider as well as the parent.
Please note that applications form deferral will only be accepted in the course of the first two
terms (i.e. up to Easter) of the pre-school year.
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6.10
Appeals
Where it has not been possible for the Childcare Directorate to verify the eligibility of a child
for the ECCE programme (generally due to the provision of an incorrect PPSN), capitation fees
will not be paid to the service provider in respect of that child. Parents or service providers
may appeal this by writing to the Childcare Directorate, providing evidence of the child's date
of birth and PPSN (i.e. a copy of the child’s birth cert and a copy of an official document or
card showing the child’s name and PPSN, e.g. a Drug Payment Scheme card, a Medical Card,
or a letter from the Department of Social Protection). The correspondence should be marked
“ECCE Appeals”.
Each appeal is examined and, where entitlement is established, the child is approved for
participation in the programme and the appropriate payment will issue to the service provider.
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7. Applications to waive the upper age limit and for pro-rata
arrangements for children with special needs
Children with special needs
Parents who wish to apply for a waiver of the upper age limit or to avail of the pre-school year
on a pro-rata basis over two years (e.g. 2 days per week in year 1 and 3 days per week in
year 2) on the grounds that their child has special needs, must apply in writing to the
Childcare Directorate not later than 1st July of each year.
The Childcare Directorate will require the following details before making a decision:
i) a copy of the child's Birth Certificate
ii) evidence of the child’s PPSN (i.e. a copy of an official document or card showing the child’s
name and PPSN, e.g. a Drug Payment Scheme card, a Medical Card, or a letter from the
Department of Social Protection).
iii) the name and address of the pre-school service in which the child will be enrolled,
AND
(iv) a detailed assessment report from the HSE, or treating consultant confirming that the
child has special needs which will either delay his/her entry to primary school or make it more
suitable that s/he avails of the pre-school year on a pro-rata basis over two years.
School admission policies
Parents may apply for a waiver of the upper age limit where their child will not be able to
commence primary school until they are aged at least 5 years and 7 months, due to the local
schools' admissions policies, on condition that the child has not already availed of the ECCE
Programme.
Applications should be made to the Childcare Directorate not later than 1st July each year.
The Directorate will require the following details before making a decision:
i) a copy of the child's Birth Certificate
ii) evidence of the child’s PPSN (i.e. a copy of an official document or card showing the child’s
name and PPSN, e.g. a Drug Payment Scheme card, a Medical Card, or a letter from the
Department of Social Protection).
iii) the name and address of the pre-school service in which the child will be enrolled,
AND
(iv) a letter from the Principal of the local primary school confirming the age admissions
policy.
Please note that under the Education and Welfare Act 2000 all children must be enrolled in a
primary school by the time they reach their 6th birthday. Therefore, a child who will reach the
age of 6 in the course of the pre-school year commencing September 2012 will not be
permitted to participate in the ECCE programme. Parents should contact their local primary
school or Special Education Needs Organiser (www.ncse.ie).
Childcare Directorate
Department of Children and Youth Affairs
June 2012
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Appendix 1 – Forms
ECCE Form 1 – New Entrant Form
ECCE Form 2 – Transfer Form (from ECCE to ECCE)
ECCE Form 3 – Child leaving ECCE Programme
ECCE Form 4 – Transfer from ECCE to CETS Form
ECCE Form 5 – Transfer back to ECCE from CETS
ECCE Form 6 – Change in Level of Service Form
ECCE Form 7 – Deferral Form
ECCE Form 8 – New Applicants EFT Form
ECCE Form 9 – EFT Form, Change in Bank Details
ECCE form 10 - Higher Capitation
ECCE Form 11 – Settling-in Transfer Form
(from ECCE to ECCE)
ECCE Form 12 – Change of Ownership Form
CCS Form 4 – Settling in Transfer Form (from ECCE to CCS)
CCS Form 6 - CCS to ECCE Transfer form