Verified You must apply
Family & children
In-kind support
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) free pre-school programme
Scéim um Chúram agus Oideachas na Luath-Óige (ECCE)
Paid by Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) · 🇮🇪 Ireland
What this pays
The published value, how it is calculated, and whether it is cash or a credit ceiling.
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Who qualifies
The 4 published rules this programme tests you against — age, income, residency, household and the rest.
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The steps, documents and official link are part of the paid plan. Checking how much you're owed is free and always will be.
1 documents you'll need
Exactly what to gather before you start, so nothing sends you back to the beginning.
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Where this comes from
The 15 hours provided each week under ECCE are free. DCDE pays the pre-school provider for these ECCE hours.
Last checked 2026-08-12 · a researcher confirmed this against the official page
Other family & children support in Ireland
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