Kathleen Funchion
Question:800. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration when he plans to publish the Crowe Report. [22705/20]
View answerTuesday, 8 September 2020
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Written answers
Crowe was commissioned by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to undertake an independent review on the cost of providing quality early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) in Ireland. Planning is currently underway to launch the report before the end of this month.
Crowe's brief included:
- analysing the current costs of providing ELC and SAC and the factors that impact on these costs;
- the delivery of a model of the unit costs of providing ELC and SAC that allows analysis of policy changes and variation in cost-drivers,
- the provision of a high-level market analysis of the sector in Ireland.
The Review was intended to provide a robust evidence base for the further development of high quality ELC and SAC in Ireland. The outputs, including the costs calculator developed through this project, were also intended to form a key input into the setting of capitation and subvention rates for early learning and childcare schemes.
Final outputs were received in January 2020, and preparations were underway to launch the report in April 2020. Regrettably, owing to the impact of COVID-19, the launch of the report was postponed. However, the findings from this Review contributed to the evidence base that underpinned the Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme introduced to support ELC and SAC services during the COVID-19 related closures. The findings also informed the development of funding packages for the phased reopening of these services since late June.