ECCE Scheme Ireland 2026: The Complete Guide for Childcare Providers

The ECCE scheme Ireland 2026 remains one of the most significant funding programmes available to early years providers across the country. As a free, universal two-year preschool programme funded by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, it gives children aged 2 years and 8 months to 5 years and 6 months their first formal experience of early learning before starting primary school. For providers, it represents a vital and reliable funding stream that sits at the heart of the Together for Better funding model. Whether you are setting up an ECCE service for the first time, reviewing your obligations for the 2025/2026 programme year, or trying to understand how ECCE interacts with Core Funding and the National Childcare Scheme, this guide covers everything you need to know as a childcare provider in Ireland in 2026.  

What Is the ECCE Scheme and How Does It Work?

The Early Childhood Care and Education programme, universally known as ECCE or the free preschool year, is a government-funded programme that has been running since January 2010. It provides every eligible child in Ireland with two academic years of free preschool, delivered for 3 hours per day, 5 days per week, over 38 weeks per programme year, which runs from September to June. The programme is universal, meaning there is no means test. Every child within the eligible age range is entitled to two years of ECCE regardless of family income. The State pays a capitation fee directly to participating early years providers in return for delivering the programme free of charge to families. ECCE is now one of four programmes within Together for Better, the national funding model launched in September 2022. The other three are Core Funding, the National Childcare Scheme and Equal Start. ECCE sits alongside Core Funding and the two schemes are designed to work together, with Core Funding providing capacity-based and graduate premium payments on top of ECCE capitation.  

ECCE Eligibility: Who Qualifies in 2026?

Child eligibility

A child is eligible for the ECCE programme if they meet both of the following age criteria:  

• They have turned 2 years and 8 months of age on or before 31 August of the programme year
• They are not older than 5 years and 6 months on or before 30 June of that same programme year

  There is no exemption to the lower age limit. There are no exceptions. A child must be at least 2 years and 8 months on 31 August to be eligible for that programme year. However, if a child has additional needs and is over the upper age limit, an application for an overage exemption can be submitted to EYQueries@equality.gov.ie. All children within the eligible age range are entitled to two full academic years on the ECCE scheme, and they can attend the same service for both years if a place is available.  

Birth Year	Earliest ECCE Start	Eligible for 2025/2026 Year
Born Jan 2021 to Dec 2021	September 2023	Yes, second ECCE year
Born Jan 2022 to Dec 2022	September 2024	Yes, second ECCE year
Born Jan 2023 to Dec 2023	September 2025	Yes, first ECCE year
Born Jan 2024 to Apr 2024	September 2026	No, not yet eligible

 

Provider eligibility

To participate in the ECCE programme as a provider, your service must meet all of the following requirements:  

• Registered with Tusla as an Early Learning and Childcare service
• Have an individual Service Reference Number for the facility on the Early Years Hive
• Have a minimum enrolment of eight ECCE-eligible children per session (exceptions may apply in rural areas, contact your City or County Childcare Committee to apply for an exemption)
• Have a qualified Lead Educator meeting the minimum qualification requirements for the ECCE room
• Have completed all Programme Readiness tasks on the Early Years Hive before the programme year begins
• Have an activated ECCE funding agreement on the Programmes tab of the Hive

 

ECCE Capitation Rates for 2025/2026

The State pays a weekly capitation fee directly to providers for each eligible child enrolled in ECCE. The standard capitation rate for the 2025/2026 programme year is €64.50 per child per week. This is paid for 38 weeks over the programme year, equating to €2,451 per child per year at the standard rate. An additional capitation premium of €2 per child per week is available to services that have a Leadership for Inclusion graduate, known as a LINC graduate, registered as their Inclusion Coordinator. This brings the weekly rate to €66.50 per child per week for eligible services. It is important to note that since the introduction of Core Funding in September 2022, the old Higher Capitation rate based on the Lead Educator holding a Level 7 qualification was replaced. Graduate premiums are now paid through Core Funding rather than through ECCE capitation. Services with a graduate Lead Educator receive the Graduate Lead Educator Premium of €4.44 per hour through Core Funding in addition to their standard ECCE capitation.  

Capitation Type	Weekly Rate per Child	Annual Rate per Child (38 weeks)
Standard Capitation	€64.50	€2,451.00
LINC Premium (Inclusion Coordinator)	€2.00 additional	€76.00 additional
Standard plus LINC total	€66.50	€2,527.00
Graduate Premium (via Core Funding)	€4.44 per lead educator hour	Paid through Core Funding separately

  Capitation is paid on a pro-rata basis if a child attends for fewer than 5 days per week. If a child is absent for 4 consecutive weeks without a notified reason, their ECCE place may be at risk. Providers must manage absences in line with the programme rules and notify the Department in writing if a child’s attendance becomes irregular.  

Qualification Requirements for ECCE Providers in 2026

Meeting the qualification requirements for your ECCE room is a condition of participation in the programme and is checked as part of both ECCE compliance monitoring and Tusla inspections.  

Lead Educator minimum qualification

Every ECCE session must have a designated Lead Educator. To be eligible to receive standard ECCE capitation, the Lead Educator must hold a minimum QQI Level 6 major award in Early Childhood Care and Education or an equivalent qualification recognised on the DCDE Early Years Recognised Qualifications list.  

Graduate Lead Educator Premium via Core Funding

If the Lead Educator holds a QQI Level 7 or Level 8 degree in Early Childhood Care and Education or an equivalent recognised graduate qualification, the service can apply for the Graduate Lead Educator Premium through Core Funding. This is worth €4.44 per hour for every hour that the graduate is working as the Lead Educator in the ECCE session.  

All other staff in the ECCE room

All preschool assistants working in the ECCE room must hold a minimum QQI Level 5 qualification in Childcare or Early Childhood Care and Education, in line with the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016. A grandfather declaration is not acceptable for assistants in an ECCE room where a higher capitation or graduate premium application is being made.  

Checking qualifications

The Department of Children, Disability and Equality publishes and regularly updates the official list of recognised qualifications at dcde.gov.ie. If you are unsure whether a qualification held by a staff member is recognised, you must check against this list before counting that person as a qualified staff member in your ECCE room. Unrecognised qualifications will not be accepted by Tusla inspectors or through the Hive portal.  

How to Register Children for ECCE in 2026

Child registration for the ECCE programme takes place through the Early Years Hive portal. The registration window for the 2026/2027 programme year typically opens in July 2026. Here is the step-by-step process providers must follow:  

• Parent or guardian completes a Pre-Registration Form for their child, providing the child’s date of birth, PPS number and documentary evidence of both
• Provider logs into the Early Years Hive and navigates to the child registration section
• Provider enters the child’s details as provided on the Pre-Registration Form
• Provider verifies the child’s eligibility based on date of birth against the current programme year eligibility table
• Provider submits the registration on the Hive and issues the parent or guardian with an Applicant Declaration Form showing any additional fees for hours beyond the free ECCE entitlement
• Parent or guardian signs and returns the Applicant Declaration Form to the provider
• Provider retains the signed declaration on file and makes it available for inspection

  If a child was registered with your service for ECCE in the previous programme year, you must create a new, separate registration for the new year. Do not delete or overwrite the previous year’s registration record. Both registrations must be maintained on the Hive.  

What Providers Can and Cannot Charge Under ECCE

One of the most important compliance requirements for ECCE providers is understanding the fee rules. The 15 hours of ECCE per week must always be provided completely free of charge to parents and guardians. You cannot charge any fee, deposit, or contribution for the core ECCE hours.

What you can charge for

You may charge parents for the following, provided they are genuinely optional and clearly listed on a signed fee schedule:  

• Additional hours of childcare beyond the 3 ECCE hours per day
• Optional extras such as music classes, dance, specific teaching resources or outings
• Food or meals provided outside the core ECCE session
• An additional optional 30 minutes per day for sessional services

 

What you cannot charge for

 

• Any fee for the 15 hours of ECCE provision per week
• Activities that form a normal part of the preschool programme such as art, outdoor play or storytime
• Any fee described as an administrative charge or booking fee that applies to the ECCE session
• Deposits that are non-refundable without clear written terms agreed in advance

  If you are unsure whether a charge you intend to apply is permissible, contact your local City or County Childcare Committee before issuing it to parents. Charging fees that are not permitted under the ECCE rules is a compliance breach and can result in recoupment of funding.  

Common ECCE Compliance Errors to Avoid in 2026

Based on patterns identified through ECCE compliance monitoring and Tusla inspections across Ireland, the following are the most frequent errors providers make:  

• Registering a child for ECCE who does not meet the age eligibility criteria for that programme year
• Failing to create a new registration for a returning child and instead updating the previous year’s record
• Lead Educator qualification not on the DCDE recognised qualifications list
• Applicant Declaration Forms not signed by the parent or guardian before the child starts
• Charging fees for activities that form a normal part of the preschool programme
• Failing to complete Programme Readiness tasks on the Hive before the programme year begins
• Not activating the ECCE funding agreement on the Hive before the start of September
• Attendance records incomplete or not maintained in line with the programme rules
• Absence management not followed correctly when a child misses four or more consecutive weeks

  Many of these errors are administrative rather than related to the quality of care being delivered. The Early Years Hive has introduced improved guidance and automated checks in recent years, but it is still the responsibility of the provider to ensure full compliance before and throughout the programme year.  

How ECCE Works Alongside Core Funding and the NCS

ECCE does not operate in isolation. It is designed to work together with Core Funding and the National Childcare Scheme as part of the integrated Together for Better funding model. Core Funding pays providers a capacity-based allocation that covers all hours of operation, not just ECCE hours. Graduate Lead Educator and Graduate Manager premiums are also paid through Core Funding. This means that a provider running both ECCE and Core Funding receives ECCE standard capitation per registered child plus their Core Funding allocation based on all staffed child places and opening hours. The National Childcare Scheme allows parents to avail of subsidised childcare hours outside of the 15 free ECCE hours per week. For example, a child attending a full-day service might receive ECCE free preschool from 9am to 12pm and then have NCS subsidies applied to the afternoon session. Providers who participate in both ECCE and NCS must ensure they are correctly separating the hours and fees for each programme. A child cannot be enrolled in the ECCE programme and the Early Start programme at the same time.  

Promoting Your ECCE Place to Parents

With over 4,600 services participating in the ECCE programme across Ireland, standing out to prospective families matters. Here are the most effective ways to promote your ECCE offering:  

• Ensure your service is listed and fully up to date on Childcare.ie, the national childcare directory that parents use to search for ECCE places in their area
• Display clear information about your ECCE place, qualification levels, curriculum approach and ethos on your website and social media
• Highlight your Aistear and Siolta-aligned programme and any specialist areas such as outdoor learning, STEM or inclusion
• Be transparent about fees for hours beyond ECCE and ensure your fee schedule is clear and accessible to parents before they register
• Engage your local City or County Childcare Committee about any parent information events or childcare directories they publish for families in your area
• Encourage satisfied parents to leave reviews on Google, as this is increasingly how new families find and choose services

 

Staying ECCE Compliant with the Right Resources

Running an ECCE service means meeting both the programme rules set by the Department and the regulatory requirements set by Tusla. Your documentation, qualification records, attendance registers, fee schedules and room setup all need to be in order. At Early Years Shop, we stock a wide range of resources that help Irish early years providers stay compliant and deliver a high quality ECCE programme every day, including:  

• Records, Policies and Toolkits that cover all mandatory documentation requirements under the 2016 Regulations
• Attendance and programme registers to keep your ECCE records complete and inspection-ready
• Posters and Signs to display required information clearly for parents and Tusla inspectors
• Quality and Compliance resources to support your Aistear and Siolta-aligned programme planning
• Educational products and curriculum support materials for your ECCE room