guide to the ecce programme and administrative procedures · guide to the ecce programme and...
TRANSCRIPT
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 pro-
rata 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. Compliance
8. 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.
To avail of the programme at any stage during the pre-school year commencing
Children must have been born between the following dates
(both dates inclusive)
September 2013 2 February 2009 and 30 June 2010
September 2014 2 February 2010 and 30 June 2011
September 2015 2 February 2011 and 30 June 2012
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.
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.
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.
It is a fundamental principle of the programme 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.
Specific, up-to-date forms must be completed in respect of various
elements of the programme. These forms are specified in the
relevant area of this Guide, and can be downloaded at Appendix 1.
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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 2013 is 29th March 2013.
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 29th March 2013. 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 29th March 2013.
The CCC carries out an initial appraisal of each application and
liaises with the local HSE Pre-school 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
children in their pre-school year.
When applying to participate in the ECCE programme for the first
time, or applying to continue to participate in the ECCE programme,
service providers will be required to declare on the application form
that they will have a minimum of five children of pre-school age
(i.e. 2½ to 6 years) in their service during the pre-school year, to
enable them to deliver an appropriate ECCE programme.
Compliance with this requirement will be checked by
representatives of Pobal in the course of their on-site compliance
visits.
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2.2 Staff Qualifications
Pre-school leaders in the programme must hold a nationally
accredited major award in Childcare / Early Childhood Education at
Level 5 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) or
equivalent).
The content of all relevant major awards must include significant
content on child development 0 – 6, early childhood curriculum and
child health and welfare. The course must also have included
supervised practice in an early childhood care and education
setting.
2.3 Higher capitation fee
A higher capitation fee is payable to pre-school service providers
where all the pre-school leaders delivering the pre-school service
hold a nationally accredited major award in Early Childhood Care
and Education at Level 7 on the National Framework of
Qualifications (NFQ) or equivalent and have 3 years experience
working in the sector, and where all the 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 .
Please note that 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.
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.
A document containing the responses to frequently-asked questions
concerning qualifications is at Appendix 3.
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2.4 Staff Ratios
With effect from September 2012, new staff ratios apply in respect
of the pre-school session element of services for service providers
participating in the ECCE Programme. This also affects the space
ratios and sanitary accommodation requirements.
The minimum number of pre-school leaders and assistants in the
free Pre-School Year service is 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).
Where the programme is provided to pre-school children in different
rooms, a qualified pre-school leader must be present in all the
rooms. For example, if the programme is being delivered to 14
children in one room, and to 15 children in another room, there
must be a pre-school leader and a pre-school assistant in both
rooms.
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, a new space/area requirement of 1.818m2 per child applies.
This allows 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 which 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. Where all requirements have been fulfilled
(e.g., copies of qualifications received and approved, tax clearance
in order etc.) 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.
Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA)
From 1st February 2014, bank sort codes and bank account numbers
will be replaced by Bank Identifier Codes (BIC) and International
Bank Account Numbers (IBAN). For this reason, from September
2013 any service notifying the Department of its bank details will be
required to provide the BIC and IBAN. This requirement is included
in the current version of EFT Forms 8 and 9. The BIC and IBAN will
be shown on your bank statement.
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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. Where contracts are in place, payments
in respect of ECCE services cannot 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 which 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. A sessional service provider,may offer an additional
30 minutes per day as an optional addition which can be charged
for.
This applies to sessional services only. 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. A full day care or a
part-time service may choose to give a free pre-school place to a
child who will be availing of a full or part-time place over another
child who only wishes to avail of the free pre-school element of the
service, or may choose to only provide the free pre-school service
to children attending either full-time or part-time, as applicable.
This information should be included in the service’s Enrolment
Policy.
* 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 (except
in the case of full-time or part-time services as outlined above). In
addition, 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 2013 (where the Childcare Directorate has
confirmed that the child is entitled to participate in the programme).
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 that has already been paid to the closing
service for providing 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 2009 and 30 June 2010 (both
dates inclusive) will qualify for the programme in September 2013.
To avail of the
programme at any stage during the pre-school
year commencing
Children must have been born between
the following dates (both dates inclusive)
September 2013 2 February 2009 and 30 June 2010
September 2014 2 February 2010 and 30 June 2011
September 2015 2 February 2011 and 30 June 2012
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-by-case basis (see
Section 8 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
2013 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 2013 to June 2014). Children with special needs may
avail of a pro-rata provision over two years, provided they fulfil
certain conditions (see Section 8 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 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.
Where a child is availing of the Home Tuition programme
implemented by the DES, the total number of hours
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4. Electronic Returns
Services who are contract to deliver the ECCE programme must
make an electronic return to the Childcare Directorate giving details
of all the children participating in the programme. Applicants who
have entered into contract 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. Services are required to
distribute the letters and forms to parents early in September.
Parents should be instructed to return the completed forms to the
service by a specified date, prior to the date on which the return is
required to be completed. The date by which the electronic return
must be submitted will be indicated in the Returns Information
Pack.
The service’s unique e-form password and user ID, enabling the
electronic return to be made, will be issued to the service by e-mail
prior to the date on which the return is required.
The information required to be included on the return includes
details of each child’s date of birth and Personal Public Service
Number (PPSN).
When the service has submitted its electronic return, the provider
should check with the CCC to confirm that the return has been
received by the Childcare Directorate.
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.
If a child has been registered by a service on the electronic return,
but has 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 in
the programme in that service in 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. The
issue of an advance payment is at the discretion of Childcare
Directorate.
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 2013 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-of-date; it is the responsibility of the
service provider to ensure that a current TCC has been submitted to
Childcare Directorate.
* The main term payments (i.e. the payments in October, January
and April) 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 by the time the main term payment is calculated,
which is usually about a week 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 notice of the transfer
request to the first provider at least 4 weeks in advance of the date
of transfer. (Please note that the 4 week notice period must be
ECCE programme weeks, i.e. they cannot include Christmas, Easter
or mid-term breaks.) Parents are required to complete a transfer
form (ECCE Form 2 – Transfer Form) which should also be
completed by the manager of the existing service, and then by the
manager of the new service. 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, processing of
the transfer request will be delayed. Parents and service providers
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.
Where a child has not attended a service for a period of 4 weeks,
the provider must contact the Childcare Directorate to advise them
of the position, by completing and returning ECCE Form 3 - Child
Leaving ECCE Programme form.
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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
(a) defer the child’s place to the following year or (b) 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 2013 contract period, the Settling-In Period finishes on
Friday 27th September 2013.
* 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 by both the parent and the service provider, and
returned to the Childcare Directorate. The arrangements regarding
the capitation fee in cases of deferral are 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 27th SEPTEMBER 2013
and returned to the Childcare Directorate. In these circumstances,
the first service provider will receive a capitation fee in respect of
that child for not more than 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 and
Child returning to 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 the child 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 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 of the CCS programme instead, a
CCS Form 3 – Settling In Transfer form must be completed by the
ECCE service provider and the parent. Such transfers must take
place before 27th September 2013. A CCS Parent Declaration form
must also be completed by the parent during the CCS snapshot
week. If the child does not appear 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 2014
A CCS to ECCE transfer, from a CCS service provider to an ECCE
service provider, will be permitted between 1st November 2013 and
11th April 2014 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 5 – 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 2014
A child may leave the ECCE programme at any time. However there
are no new places allowed in the CCS programme after the e-return
has been completed in October 2013. Therefore, no transfers
between the ECCE programme to the CCS programme are
permitted after the e-return has been submitted.
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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. The service provider
of the service where the child was availing of the CETS place should
notify the local CCC that the CETS place has ceased.
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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 the September of the following year. If 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 for deferral will only be accepted in the
course of the first two terms (i.e. up to Easter) of the pre-school
year.
Example: A parent starts their child in the ECCE programme in the
first week of September, and then decides in the 5th week of the
first term that his/her child is not ready for pre-school, and notifies
the service immediately.
As this child will already have benefited from the pre-school service
for five weeks, it will be up to the service provider and the parent to
agree arrangements in respect of fees due. Such arrangements
may need to take account of the provider’s terms and conditions of
enrolment with regard to the giving of notice, refund of deposits
etc. A deferral form is then completed and signed by both parties
and submitted to the DCYA. On receipt of the completed form, the
DCYA will deduct any funding already paid to the service in respect
of the child.
It should be noted that, once the deferral form has been signed by
both parties, the DCYA will proceed on the basis that agreement in
respect of any fees due to the service has been reached.
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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. Compliance
Services participating in the ECCE programme must permit
representatives and agents of the Department to visit the facility
and inspect financial and other records for the purpose of
confirming the service’s compliance with the Terms and Conditions
of the programme. From September 2013, all such inspections will
be unannounced. In addition, the Parent Declaration Forms will
include provision for the parent to agree that a representative or
agent of the Department may contact him/her to discuss issues
regarding the delivery of the programme to their child. Such issues
may include the notification to parents of optional additional
charges, or the pattern of attendance of their child.
8. 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 primary
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
2013 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
July 2013
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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
ECCE Form 13 - Child returning to the ECCE Programme
CCS Form 4 – Settling in Transfer Form (from ECCE to CCS)
CCS Form 6 - CCS to ECCE Transfer form
Appendix 2 – City/County Childcare Committees (CCCs)
Contact details for City/County Childcare Committees
Appendix 3 – Qualifications – Frequently Asked Questions
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