2nd free ECCE year missed due to December 2011 DOB - any similar experience, options?

visitor3012

I would like to ask if you (or anyone you know) are facing the same issue and more importantly what are you/they doing about it.

We decided to avail of the 2nd free ECCE year for our son but only when the creche contacted us that his registration did not go through, we found out (so did the creche) that there is date of birth limitation for eligibility - only children born after January 1st 2012 are entitled to the 2nd year of free ECCE. My son was born in December 2011 (hence missed the date by couple of weeks) however we were told that there are no exceptions made and that if we want our son to attend ECCE we must pay the year in full ourselves.

I contacted Department of children and youth affairs but awaiting their response.

I'd love to hear if anyone is fighting similar case for their son/daughter and if so, have you managed to progress somewhere?

afkasurfjunkie

visitor3012 wrote: »

I would like to ask if you (or anyone you know) are facing the same issue and more importantly what are you/they doing about it.

We decided to avail of the 2nd free ECCE year for our son but only when the creche contacted us that his registration did not go through, we found out (so did the creche) that there is date of birth limitation for eligibility - only children born after January 1st 2012 are entitled to the 2nd year of free ECCE. My son was born in December 2011 (hence missed the date by couple of weeks) however we were told that there are no exceptions made and that if we want our son to attend ECCE we must pay the year in full ourselves.

I contacted Department of children and youth affairs but awaiting their response.

I'd love to hear if anyone is fighting similar case for their son/daughter and if so, have you managed to progress somewhere?

I thought there was an intake in sept and Jan and that those kids would begin in Jan?Although it's unlikely places would be held until Jan so one would have to pay from sept-Dec.

visitor3012

There are 3 enrollment dates from now on - September, January and April however as it seems, its possible to use January and April dates only from 2017 hence I can't "back-date" my son's registration to April 2016 to "meet" current criteria. We don't mind to pay the extra month for which he is not eligible (due to his December DOB) but unfortunately such option is not there and even if he was born December 31st 2011, according to the current rules only children with DOB 1st January 2012 and further are eligible.There are other kids in his class, who were with him in ECCE 2015/2016 but born in 2012 who are now in the 2nd year and their registration went through no problem.

Moonbeam

I am not sure how the school did not know the calendar requirements,they have been in place since the ECCE scheme started and they would have been aware that there are newer ones for the extra year.

http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=1143

Unless the child has additional needs I am not sure there is much that you can do.

Big Bag of Chips

I have a March baby who's second free "year" entitlement will be from end of April to end of June! I will using it for preschool which is Sept - Jun but she will only get 2 months of the second year.

visitor3012

Big Bag of Chips - how do you get to enroll your child in only for 3 months from April to June? I thought that you must either take full year or nothing?

Big Bag of Chips

The play school that she was enrolled in for next year, Sep 2017, contacted me about her second free year in August. They said that she would be entitled to the second free year from the end Apr. But apparently because she was entitled to it from then, the playschool would only be paid for her from then, but they had to hold a place for her from Sep until Apr, but not be paid for it because she wasn't entitled to it.. if you know what I mean.

She will start school at 4 and a half.

If it's all or nothing, then she'll get nothing because she won't be entitled to it. It seems there's a very small window for children to be entitled to the full 2 years. Unless they're trying to push for children to all be turned 5/almost 6 before starting.

Moonbeam

visitor3012 wrote: »

Big Bag of Chips - how do you get to enroll your child in only for 3 months from April to June? I thought that you must either take full year or nothing?

Most play schools don't have the space to take a child for 3 months so parents either pay up until then or wait until Sept .