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Child Care Services Funding

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 May 2014

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

Questions (358)

Seán Kyne

Question:

358. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding streams available to community child care facilities with particular reference to facilities in rural locations which are the only child care providers for significant distances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20305/14]

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Written answers

A number of childcare support programmes are implemented by my Department to support parents with the cost of childcare. These include the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme, the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme and the new After-school Childcare programme. These programmes represent an annual investment of approximately €260 million in childcare supports.

The ECCE programme is a universal programme to which all children have access and provides a free pre-school year to eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. This programme is provided by both community and commercial services and the funding allocated to each service is based on the number of qualifying children and the level of service provided.

The Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme is confined to community not-for-profit childcare services and provides targeted funding primarily to support lower income and disadvantaged families. The funding provided is used by the participating services to reduce the weekly fees charged to qualifying families. This programme is presently closed to new entrants and new community childcare services seeking to enter the CCS programme can only do so if they are in a position to replace an existing community services that has opted out of the programme and support the parents who had previously used that service.

Funding is also provided by my Department to support the Childhood Education and Training Support (CETS) programme which targets funding to support parents seeking to return to the workforce who are participating in Solas or Education and Training Boards education and training programmes. This programme also supports Community Employment scheme participants along with supporting social welfare recipients returning to the workforce with the cost of after school care.

The After-school Childcare scheme is targeted to support low-income parents returning to the workforce. The aim of this initiative is to ensure that affordable and quality childcare is available to disadvantaged families when work opportunities are offered. The CETS and After-school programmes are provided by both community and commercial childcare services and the funding provided is used by the services to reduce the weekly fees charged to qualifying parents.

Capital funding grants to childcare services for major developments were discontinued following a review by Government of all capital expenditure in 2009. I did secure capital funding totalling €9 million in 2012 and 2013 to support ongoing improvement of established childcare services participating in one or more of the childcare support programmes implemented by my Department. I secured a further €2.5 million in 2014 for maintenance and upgrade of community/not-for-profit childcare services to ensure that previously funded community facilities remain fit-for-purpose and in a position to deliver quality services.

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