ECCE and Junior Infants in Ireland: When Your Child Starts Preschool and School
When free ECCE preschool starts and ends for your child's birth year, the earliest junior infants September, and when school becomes compulsory in Ireland.
A child in Ireland can start the free ECCE preschool in the September after they turn 2 years 8 months, which means the September of the year they turn 3, and can stay for two programme years until June of the year they turn 5. Junior infants can start from age 4, most children start at 5, and education is compulsory from 6.
A child in Ireland can start the free Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme in the September after they turn 2 years and 8 months, and can stay for two programme years, finishing in June of the year they turn 5. Junior infants can start from age 4, and education is compulsory from 6. Put in your child's birth year and month in the ECCE and junior infants calculator to get the dates for your child.
The ECCE dates by year of birth
The ECCE rule has two ages in it. A child must have turned 2 years 8 months by 31 August, and must not be older than 5 years 6 months on 30 June of the programme year. Because every child born in the same calendar year meets both ages in the same Septembers, ECCE in practice groups children by year of birth. This is the table on the gov.ie ECCE page (last updated 17 August 2026):
| Born between | First ECCE year starts | Second ECCE year starts | ECCE ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January to 31 December 2021 | September 2024 | September 2025 | 3 July 2026 |
| 1 January to 31 December 2022 | September 2025 | September 2026 | June 2027 |
| 1 January to 31 December 2023 | September 2026 | September 2027 | June 2028 |
| 1 January to 31 December 2024 | September 2027 | September 2028 | June 2029 |
| 1 January to 31 December 2025 | September 2028 | September 2029 | June 2030 |
A child born on 31 December 2023 turns 2 years 8 months on 31 August 2026, so they can start that September, the same month as a child born in January 2023, who is by then 3 years 7 months. The January child is almost a year older in the same room, which is normal in ECCE.
What ECCE gives you
ECCE is free for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 38 weeks a year (or 182 days, shown on your provider's ECCE calendar), and the programme year runs from 1 September to 30 June. Providers can charge for extra hours and optional extras, but the 15 ECCE hours a week are free. If your child attends a longer part-time or full-time place, the provider must take €64.50 a week (€12.90 a day) off your fee for the ECCE hours.
One detail differs between official sources: the gov.ie table gives 3 July 2026 as the end date for children born in 2021, while the rule on the same page says the programme year ends on 30 June. Your provider's ECCE calendar has the exact last day.
Junior infants: from 4, usually at 5
Citizens Information says children in Ireland usually start primary school at 5, in September, but can start from age 4. So the earliest junior infants September is:
- born January to August: the September of the year they turn 4;
- born September: usually the next year, unless the child is already 4 on the school's first day;
- born October to December: the September of the year they turn 5.
Schools set their own admission ages. Each primary school publishes an admissions policy and an annual admissions notice, and some ask for a child to be 4 by a date earlier than September. Read the policy of the school you want before planning around the earliest date.
A child who uses both ECCE years finishes in June of the year they turn 5 and starts junior infants that September, at 5. A child who starts junior infants at 4 uses only one ECCE year.
When school becomes compulsory
The Education (Welfare) Act 2000, section 2 defines a child for school attendance as a person resident in the State who has reached 6 and has not reached 16 or finished three years of post-primary education. So the legal duty starts on the 6th birthday, not in a particular September. Most children are already in senior infants by then.
What changed recently
- The table rolls forward every year. Children born in 2023 start their first free year in September 2026; children born in 2024 start in September 2027.
- AIM supports for children with disabilities in ECCE are being extended to children under three from September 2027, according to the Budget 2027 childcare details.
- Fees outside the ECCE hours are changing too: from September 2027 the National Childcare Scheme universal subsidy rises to €2.50 an hour for children up to senior infants. See the Ireland childcare cost calculator.
How to register
Your provider registers your child on the Early Years Hive system using a Pre-Registration Form, which asks for the child's name, date of birth, PPS number and Eircode. Your local City or County Childcare Committee, or the Pobal Parent Centre, can help with questions.
Sources
- gov.ie, Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE), updated 17 August 2026, checked 18 October 2026.
- Citizens Information, Starting primary school and Choosing a primary school, checked 18 October 2026.
- Irish Statute Book, Education (Welfare) Act 2000, section 2.