ineligible for preschool year

Washout

I have a daughter who is currently 2. she was born in July

We went to our local Giraffe childcare who say she is ineligible because a child has to be 3 years 3 months in september.

is this true...so that basically means that if your child was born june,july,august they cant avail of it????

shell be 4 the following year so will be going to school.

i dont get it....this system seems wrong in my eyes

Moonbeam

She will be eligible next September.
"In general, children are eligible for the ECCE scheme if they are aged between 3 years 2 months and 4 years 7 months on 1 September of the year that they will be starting."
Some schools won't take kids until 4 1/2 so check your schools enrollment policy.

loyatemu

http://www.omc.gov.ie/documents/childcare/ecce_scheme_pack/ECCE_Parents_Leaflet_August_2010.pdf

seems to be correct. A lot of primary schools won't take kids into junior infants if they've only just turned 4.

metrovelvet

Yes this is correct. Aren't you a whole year too early though?

I have a June toddler [three years old] and I was told by three different pre schools at the beginning of the summer that he would not be elegible because he wont be three and three months by the time the terms starts.

I ended up signing him for a couple of mornings anyway paying for it. Then I get a letter the last week of August in full colour ink in English and in IRish from the government telling me he is eligible as kids born up to June 30th are eligible.

However I wont use it till next year anyway.

Washout

we have her enrolled for the local educate together school for 2012. they haven't told us if she is too young...i will ring them to confirm.

I just assumed that a child had to be 4 years to start school.

all this 4 years 6 months stuff is news to me

D rog

It's 3yrs 2 months as far as I know they changed the 1st June to the 30th.
So three before the 30th of June of the year you want to enrol.
Unfortunately yes, this does mean that July, August and Sept babies are not eligible the year they are 3, and if you want them to go to school early you miss out on the ECCE scheme.

Tipsygypsy

There shouldn't be any trouble deferring her starting at national school until 2013 if you wanted to do that - she could use her free childcare year from Sept 2012 instead, and would probably be much better prepared for the challenges of Junior Infants. I found that of my two sons, the one who started school at an older age (5yrs 1 month) found the academic side of things much easier than the one who started younger (4yrs 4 months), the latter finding early reading and numeracy very challenging. My youngest boy will definitely be starting after the age of 5, which means me paying for part-time playschool this year and he will take his free year next year. Most schools wont have a problem with the deferral.

LashingLady

Which Educate Together do you have her enrolled for? If it's one of the Dublin ones it's highly unlikely that she would get a place for the year that she is four, as there will be a huge list of children born in the previous 18 months before her.

Just to give you an idea, my son was born in June 2008, and I enrolled him for both Ranelagh Multi-Denom and North Bay (wasn't sure where I would be living) when he was 7 weeks old. For both I filled in the forms for both 2012 and 2013. When I called them to find out where he stood I was told that he was around 200th on the list for the year that he would be 4, so not a hope that he would be getting a place!!! For the year that he is 5 he's much higher up on the list, and I think I'll be happier with him starting school having just turned 5 than 4.

I would give the school a call and check if you can change the application year, as they all have different policies about - in RMDS you can be on two lists but North Bay you can only be on one list so I had to choose the year he would be 5 and take him off the other list.

Chuchoter

If you can do the year of preschool so she's 5 when she starts school then do it. Just turned 4 is quite young.

Jumbo156

Please see thread below, it's been covered to death

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055891281

Big Bag of Chips

OP, a little bit of topic, but not really - as crayolastereo says if you can do the free year the year she turns 4, so she starts school at 5 I would recommend it.

I have a June baby! She was 3, and I just about qualified this year for the free year. I sent her this year to keep my options open for next year as to whether to send her to school or not.

I have another child just started junior infants. I had been humming and hawing about what to do with my 3 year old next year, and 3 weeks in to "big school" I'm 100% decided. She would not be able for the "playground politics"! She's an exceptionally bright child. She's the youngest in playschool, by up to a year, and her teachers have already approached me to say she's keeping up with them all, and passing out some of them.

I have NO CONCERNS about her academic ability to handling school. But seeing/hearing what goes on in the playground - she would crumble at being excluded from a game, or someone telling her she couldn't be friends with them.

So next year, I will hold on to her. At this stge of her life waiting a year isn't going to do that much harm.. but if I send her early and she has to battle through school always being the youngest in the class, I think it would be tough on her.

My own personal opinion and personal choice, but my summer baby, will definitely be 5 before she starts.. and it'll give me a chance to build up her confidence and self-esteem a bit more too.

So I'd suggest you do your free year in 2 years time, when your daugther turns 4.

ellee

Another June baby mum here! And yes, I's going down the send him to school when he's 5 route. I suppose I was a June baby myself and went to school at that age. I just feel the extra year's maturity and growth won't so any harm before facing into all that education!