Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
1005. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will address a matter raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied) in relation to the impact of Covid-19 on the early years sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8602/20]
View answerThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented situation that has required a series of emergency responses from the Government.
I am acutely aware of the particular impact the pandemic and the emergency measures have had on early education providers. I am also very conscious of the importance of the early education and childcare sector, particularly in the context of the current conditions and with a view to supporting the economy as we move beyond this crisis.
Recognising this, the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme was launched on 15 April.
To support the Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare sector during COVID-19 closures, I announced plans on 25 March for the development for this Scheme.
The aim of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme is threefold:
- to support the sustainability of the Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare Sector so that it is in a position to reopen after COVID-19;
- to provide parents with a reassurance that they are not required to pay fees during this COVID-19 crisis, while providing them with reassurance that they will maintain places for their children; and
- to give Early Learning and Care Educators security and retain these vital Educators in the sector.
To achieve this, the Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme will provide funding towards a portion of staff wages and services overhead costs. Details of how to sign up have been made available through the Pobal programme platform used by childcare providers.
Clearly the sector experienced considerable anxiety and stress on March 12 when closures were announced. To alleviate this, I had directed that the programme payments (including ECCE (free pre-school) and the National Childcare Scheme) continue on an ex-gratia basis, despite services being closed until the Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme was up and running.
Payments for those schemes continued until last Friday 10 April 2020 and reflect the amount that would have been expected by services, based on current child registrations and the calendars submitted by the service to Pobal on or before the closure of services on 12 March 2020. Whilst many services would benefit from the continuation of these ex gratia payments, many other services which relied more heavily on parental income were extremely exposed with the loss of this income stream.
It was important to move to this new temporary funding model which repurposes existing monies to support the multiplicity of childcare provider types with varying ratios of state income and parental contribution. For example, had the schemes such as ECCE remained as they were, services in receipt of 90-100% of their income from the State would have managed during the closure period, but those with much less would have been very severely impacted. This could have resulted in permanent closure and loss of precious capacity post-COVID.
The Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme is available to all of the 4000 plus services that were contracted to my Department on March 12 and builds on the wider provisions by Government. It also recognises the unique place and importance of the childcare sector.
Details regarding the mechanics of the scheme are addressed in a comprehensive set of FAQs that have been published on the DCYA website and shared with providers. The Pobal Service Provider Centre is also available to respond to queries.
My Department has made considerable investment in the sector in recent years. I want to preserve the fruits of this investment and I want to ensure that early education and childcare places are still there for parents when these difficult times pass.
