Free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)

List of services participating in the ECCE scheme available here.

The ECCE is a scheme designed to give children access to a free Pre-School Year of appropriate programme-based activities in the year before they start primary school. Participation in a pre-school programme provides children with their first formal experience of early learning, the starting-point of their educational and social development outside the home. Children who avail of pre-school are more likely to be ready for school and a formal learning and social environment.
Click here to view OMCYA Parent Guide to the ECCE Scheme.

General information regarding the ECCE scheme may be viewed here. ECCE Information in other languages: Chinese 1 and Chinese 2; French; Spanish; Russian; Hindi and Polish.

Click here to access documents associated with the ECCE scheme.

For further ECCE updates, click here to link to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) website.

ECCE and Children with Special Needs

Children with special needs who had benefited from the first "short" year of the ECCE, were allowed in exceptional cases to access a second, "full" year in September in Sept 2010. A second pre-school year is not available under the ECCE in subsequent years, including the September 2011 year. Parents of children with special needs can still choose to apply to avail of the scheme on a pro rata payment over 2 years i.e spreading the pre-school year over two years, generally on the basis of 2 days in the 1st year and 3 days in the 2nd year. Click here for further information.