EANI Pre-School Two Stage Process

Stage 1 – Applications for all pre-school age ranges for the school year commencing in September 2026 can be submitted when the application procedure opens in January 2026.  However, applications submitted in January for underage children and those related to a P1 deferral where a child has attended or is currently attending a pre-school funded place will not be considered until Stage 2 of the pre-school admissions procedure. 

Stage 2 – Parents of children who were unable to be offered a funded pre-school place in Stage 1 are encouraged to submit further preferences for consideration in Stage 2 when it opens.  Target and Underage applications can be received in Stage 2 by the deadline, refer to Key Dates.

Note:  During the pre-school admissions procedure, final pre-school target age applications are considered before underage applications are considered. 

For further information visit:

Pre-school Age 

Key Dates 

Deferral of School Starting Age 

What is a funded Pre-school education place?

A funded pre-school place is provided under the Pre-School Education Programme.  All pre-school places under the programme for the delivery of the pre-school curriculum are free to parents because they are funded by the Department of Education.

• It normally consists of five sessions per week
• In our nursery units, attendance takes the form of full day (4½ hours per day) 
• Nursery schools and Primary schools with nursery units can offer either full time or part time sessions which can be either morning or afternoon.
• All pre-school education settings under the Pre-School Education Programme are considered to be non-sectoral and accessible to children from all backgrounds regardless of a setting’s location and management type.
• All pre-school settings deliver to the same curricular guidelines and are inspected to the same educational standards.  Pre-school settings provide important opportunities for indoor and outdoor play in a stimulating environment and also enable your child to socialise regularly with other children.  More detail on pre-school education is available on the CCEA website at CCEA - Pre-school.

Note:

• Session Times will be indicated at the top of the published admissions criteria of each pre-school provider;
• Some pre-school settings may charge for additional services (e.g. snacks, lunch, extra-curricular activities).  If a setting wishes to charge for additional services they may do so provided that it is made explicit to parents that the services are additional to the funded pre-school session.  Parents/carers may wish to contact a pre-school setting directly.