Special needs children to receive supports for free preschool year

Thousands of children with special needs are set to receive supports to allow them to benefit from the free preschool year for the first time.

About 65,000 children are eligible for the current preschool year, but parents and childcare providers say many are losing out because of barriers such as specialised needs and a lack of trained staff.

From September next year, however, mainstream preschools will able to apply for a range of supports such as staff training, grants for equipment and alterations to buildings and therapeutic interventions.

Government officials expect that about 7,500 children with disabilities will be able to participate in the free preschool year.

The supports – due to be formally announced today – will include a new further education course which will provide training for up to 900 preschool staff. This is likely to begin from April. In all, €15 million has been set aside for the supports next year, or €33 million in a full year.

Minister for Children Dr James Reilly had pledged to improve access to preschools for children with special needs.

The model involves seven levels of support for preschools which include expert early years advice and support and additional assistance in preschool rooms.

Lorraine Dempsey of the Special Needs Parents Association said the lack of any formal plan to cater for children with disabilities had been a major source of frustration for parents . She said available supports had been very patchy and depended on luck and geography.

“We know of cases where children were turned away because they weren’t toilet-trained or they have additional needs like being unable to feed themselves,” Ms Dempsey said.

Early Childhood Ireland, which represents childcare service providers, says a recent survey found 74 per cent of childcare services had a child with additional needs. The group's chief executive Teresa Heeney has said that other vital supports are needed – such as speech therapists, psychologists and occupational therapists – to ensure all assessments are completed before a child enters a free preschool year.