Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 June 2019
231. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if childcare providers are entitled to apply a cap on the number of children in their services under the community childcare subvention scheme and request that parents whose children qualify for the scheme pay full fees for those children. [27283/19]
View answerRegistration for the Community Childcare Subvention programme (CCS) is specifically based on actual attendance of a child in the service during a snapshot window. For the 2018/2019 programme year, this was from the 17th September to 12th October 2018.
While there is no specific cap on the number of CCS children in a service, service provider's are subject to the ratios as outlined in the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016.
The service manager must agree with parents/guardians the number of days and the pattern of attendance that the child will be availing of prior to registering the child for a CCS place. A record of this agreement must be maintained by the childcare provider.
A funding allocation is given to the service provider for the year based on the number of children in attendance as per their attendance records during this snapshot period. This allocation cannot increase after the snapshot period.
Therefore, a child cannot be registered on CCS after the snapshot window has closed except in circumstances where a CCS eligible child can replace a child funded under the CCS programme who has left the service.
There are alternative childcare schemes available however and I would advise any parent to contact their local City/County Childcare Committee for further information and assistance.
