The Pre-School Education Expansion Programme (PEEP) in 1997 was part of the Government's manifesto to provide every child in their pre-school year with a funded place. As there were not enough places in nursery schools to accommodate children in their pre-school year, funding was allocated to the voluntary, community and private sectors to meet the shortfall.
For many years these sectors provided for the shortfall without any funding from the Department of Education and therefore had to charge fees for places. PEEP meant that for the first time they were able to offer funded places to children in their communities. This offers real choice to parents, who will now often choose the local playgroup. Playgroups receiving funding through this initiative are subject to the same inspection as nursery classes by the Education and Training Inspectorate, which show that many playgroups provide very high-quality care and education.
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