The Access and Inclusion Model or AIM is a programme of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities or additional needs can access the Early Childhood Care and Education or ECCE programme. The goal of AIM is to empower early learning and care providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme and reap the benefits of quality early learning and care in any mainstream service participating in ECCE.
A core feature and strength of AIM is that it does not require a diagnosis. Instead, resources are allocated based on a child’s individual needs.
Since its introduction in 2016, AIM has had a major impact on the lives of children and on the quality of early learning and care, by supporting access and meaningful participation of children with disabilities and additional needs in state funded mainstream pre-schools.
More than 40,900 children have received AIM targeted supports to date and many more have benefited from universal measures enhancing inclusion in their service.
The AIM budget for 2026 is €86.05 million — an increase of 50% since 2024. This funding will support up to 9,000 children to access the ECCE programme in 2026 through targeted AIM supports, as well as a 10% increase in the capitation rate for AIM Level 7, which was introduced from October 2025.
In line with a commitment in the First 5 Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, an independent evaluation of AIM was published in 2024 which is informing the extension of AIM beyond the ECCE programme as well as any potential enhancements to the model.
The findings from the evaluation have informed the phased extension of AIM.
Since September 2024, AIM has expanded beyond time spent in the ECCE programme for ECCE-aged children. This allows children to access early learning and childcare outside of ECCE hours during both term-time and holiday periods. Children can?access?early learning and childcare for up to an additional?3?hours in term and 6 hours out of term through the National Childcare Scheme or NCS.
The Programme for Government commits to ‘examine and expand the Access and Inclusion Model and make it available to younger children.’ Officials in the Department will be engaging in a comprehensive policy development process during 2026 to extend AIM to children aged under three, which will be underpinned by consultations with key stakeholders.
It is intended that over time, all children with additional needs registered in early learning and childcare services will have access to supports under AIM, and so consideration will be given at a future date to options and mechanisms for extending AIM to children in school-age childcare.
It is critical that these policy responses will be strongly evidence-based and reflective of the needs of children. This requires tailoring of the Access and Inclusion Model and differentiation of approaches for each of these two separate age cohorts. Funding will be sought through the annual budget process on a phased basis for further extensions of AIM.
An action plan is underway to address other AIM Evaluation-identified improvements.
Two notable steps already achieved in this regard include:
The publication of Introductory Guidelines for the inclusion of autistic children in early learning, school-age childcare, and childminding settings (in collaboration with AsIAm).
The recent launch of the updated 'LINC', or Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years 'Inclusion Coordinator' (INCO) programme, with a focus on the needs of autistic children and development of supplementary CPD materials.
