Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 October 2019
288. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if a person who would have been eligible for old childcare subvention schemes such as the CETS scheme but did not enrol in advance of 2019 will still be able to enrol for the CETS scheme and level of funding; and if this parent is only eligible for the national childcare scheme rate of subsidy. [42693/19]
View answerThe Childcare Education and Training Support programme (CETS) which is a part of the overarching Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) programme will remain open for new registrations until February 2020 to facilitate certain modular education and training courses' registration requirements. The exact date will be communicated to all childcare providers closer to the time.
The Childcare Support Act 2018 provides for a transition period during which parents can choose to continue to receive (subject to certain conditions) the same hours and level of financial support they would have received under the previous legacy schemes. To this end, the legacy schemes will continue for the 19/20 programme year and extend fully into the 20/21 programme year, running in parallel with the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). Therefore, all those registered and in receipt of a subsidy under the TEC scheme prior to February 2020, will be entitled to retain that subsidy.
While most of those benefiting from legacy schemes will see their level of subsidy rise under the NCS, persons registered on TEC before February 2020, have the option to either move to the NCS or remain on the TEC scheme for the duration of their eligibility. Information re what subsidy a parent may be eligible to receive under the NCS is available from the NCS Parent Information Line at 01 9068530.
