Pre-school support a right for all children

Funding is needed to ensure additional resources for assistance in ensuring special needs children have adequate support in pre-schools, writes Lorraine Dempsey

DECIDING on which pre-school your child attends is never easy, but when a child has additional needs to consider, the decision-making process is even more challenging, now depending on your child’s medical needs and level of disability, what pre-school settings are available in your area, and what supports you have to hand, such as access to an early intervention team and personal assistants.

The vast majority of children with special needs attend mainstream pre-schools, and only a small proportion of those require extra support that cannot be provided solely by staff in the pre-school of choice.