Principles
It is the policy of Castle Kidz childcare service to offer equal access to children and their parents/guardians inclusive of special needs, cultural, financial status and religious orientation under the terms of the ECCE scheme.
ECCE Scheme
This policy refers to children who are eligible to participate in the Government’s Free Preschool Year. This scheme covers up to two years of free early education. Children can start preschool in the September after they reach 2 years and 8 months and remain in preschool until the 30th June of the year they are commencing in Primary School, provided that by the end of the pre-school year (i.e. 30th June), the child will not be older than 5 ½ years. The level of access to the full ‘two year period’ is ‘date of birth’ dependent and the eligibility is determined by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs [DCYA]. An eligibility table accompanies this policy and should be followed and reviewed in respect of each application.
Children can be enrolled into the scheme in September each year. It should be noted that the service may be over subscribed and may not be able to accept children during all entry periods.
ECCE is an inclusive scheme and welcomes all children regardless of ability. In some cases parents need to be aware that the participation of their child may require additional resources which will be discussed at time of enrolment.