Free pre-school scheme to be reviewed

An independent review of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme will be undertaken next year.

The review will assess whether the ECCE Programme is meeting its core objectives and will identify any changes or improvements that can be made to the programme.

The ECCE Programme offers up to 2 years of free pre-school education and has helped more than 800,000 children since it was first introduced in 2010.

Its core objectives are to provide children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school; to promote better cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes for children; and to narrow the gap in attainment between more and less advantaged children.

Announcing the independent review recently, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, said the ECCE Programme is a central pillar in the department’s funding model “given the benefit it confers to children, their families and society more broadly”.

He said: “I am delighted to initiate this review of the ECCE Programme, which will prepare the ground for putting the ECCE Programme on a statutory footing, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to fully funded pre-school provision into the future.”

Stranmillis University College in Belfast has been appointed to undertake the review in fulfilment of a commitment in ‘First 5: A Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families (2019-2028)’.

The review will be completed in quarter 3 of 2023.