Financing for equity in pre-primary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to institutions
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
Key financing indicators (UIS Data)
The official entrance age to pre-primary education is 3 years old. In 2022, the net enrolment rate for pre-primary education (both sexes) was 81%.
Governance
Responsibility for pre-primary education is shared between the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) and the Department of Education and Youth. With the exception of the Early Start programme and the first two years of primary school (infant classes for ages 4-6) (tuition-free and funded by the Department of Education), all expenditure on childcare is administered by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality or POBAL.
TUSLA, the Child and Family Agency, is the independent statutory regulator for the early learning and care sector and for school-age childcare. Inspection of the educational aspects of provision is undertaken by the Department of Education and Youth in collaboration with TUSLA.
The DCDE is planning for a new National Early Learning and Childcare Agency, which is expected to take over functions currently carried out by Pobal Early Years (including Better Start), the City and County Childcare Committees, and some operational functions of the DCDE.
Tuition-free status
Government-funded pre-primary education is tuition-free.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
There is no formal regional or local administrative structure for pre-primary education. All funding remains central.
2. Education resources to institutions
Early Start Pre-School Programme
The Early Start Pre-School Programme is a one-year pre-school programme which provides subsidies to selected schools in 38 disadvantaged areas for children aged between 3 and 5 years who are at risk of not reaching their potential in school. The Department of Education allocates capitation grants to schools included in the programme, including grants for the purchase of materials/equipment and development of parental involvement. All of the children in Early Start must be from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the case where the number of applications exceeds the supply of places, the children from the most disadvantaged families are prioritized.
Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS)
The Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme is the Department of Education’s main policy initiative addressing educational disadvantage, providing additional targeted resources to schools from preschool to secondary education serving socio-economically disadvantaged communities. The DEIS identification model, initially based on principal surveys of student characteristics, was refined in 2017 with the introduction of the Pobal Haase Pratschke (HP) Index, which uses census data to measure relative affluence and deprivation by neighbourhood across three dimensions: demographic profile, social class composition, and labour market situation. Each student is assigned an HP index score based on home address, reflecting the socio-economic capital of their area.
The DEIS school identification process uses the HP Index to group students as very disadvantaged, disadvantaged, or borderline disadvantaged, while also accounting (since a 2021/22 revision) for Traveller and Roma students, those in International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) or Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres (EROC), and children experiencing homelessness.
3. Education resources to students and families
There is no other subsidy programme allocated directly to students and families at the pre-primary level. All subsidy programmes, including the ECCE programme, National Childcare Scheme, Early Start, AIM, and DEIS fund institutions directly.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) funds all other programmes related to pre-primary education.
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme
The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, initially introduced in 2010, provides free, universal two-year pre-primary education to all children within the eligible age range in participating centres (including private centres), funded by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE). The ECCE programme provides children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school and is available to children who have turned 2 years and 8 months of age before 1 September until they transfer to primary school if they are not older than 5 years and 6 months at the end of the pre-school year on 30 June.
The government pays a capitation fee to participating ECCE settings, who in turn provide a pre-school service free of charge to all eligible children. The programme also provides settings with additional funding, and thus a higher capitation payment, for each teacher that holds a degree at ISCED Level 6 or above.
National Childcare Scheme
Outside the ECCE programme, participation in early learning and care is primarily subsidized by the National Childcare Scheme, introduced in 2019. The National Childcare Scheme provides 2 types of childcare subsidies (paid directly to the preschool or school-age childcare service provider, who in turn reduce fees for parents) for children aged over 6 months and up to 15 years (children aged 15 do not qualify) attending preschool or or school-aged childcare services: a universal subsidy (available to all families) which is not means tested and an income-assessed subsidy which is means tested and calculated based on family circumstances. Rates vary depending on the level of family income, the child’s age and educational stage, and the number of children in the family.
Childcare providers (including childminders and school-age childcare services) must be registered with Tusla and have a National Childcare Scheme contract with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE). The National Childcare Scheme is administered by Pobal.
The government’s First 5 long-term plan for ECCE aims to expand the National Childcare Scheme, progressively increasing the number of families eligible for targeted subsidies.
Access and Inclusion Model (AIM)
The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), initially established in 2016, supports children with disabilities to access pre-primary education within ‘mainstream’ preschool settings, fully participating in the preschool curriculum alongside their peers. The model, which is primarily funded through the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE), is based on the needs of the child when starting pre-school and does not require a diagnosis of disability. AIM has 7 levels of support, moving from universal support (supporting all children in atteding pre-primary education, including training for preschool providers on inclusive preschool environments) to targeted support depending on the needs of the child and the pre-school provider. Targeted support may include expert educational advice and mentoring, specialized equipment, and additional funding for extra assistance. The model was developed by DCYA, DES and the Department of Health.
The government’s First 5 long-term plan for ECCE is considering the extension of AIM to other age groups or children with additional needs other than a disability.
This profile has been reviewed by Professor Selina McCoy (Economic and Social Research Institute, Ireland).
