Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 May 2021
72. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department is examining the serious issues in relation to the current national childcare scheme exclusion of disadvantaged children as part of the wider review of childcare funding. [28590/21]
View answerI am strongly committed to improving access to high quality early learning and childcare, especially those who are most disadvantaged given the benefits this confers to children.
The National Childcare Scheme represents the first ever statutory entitlement to financial support for early learning and childcare.
It marks a shift away from previous schemes, which were based on medical card and social protection entitlements to a more progressive system of universal and income-based subsidies.
Under the NCS, significantly more families are eligible for support.
NCS makes early learning and childcare more affordable, and in some instances free, to these families - with those on lowest incomes receiving the greatest level of support.
NCS is designed to ensure that access provided is at a level necessary to support positive child development outcomes regardless of whether parents are in work or study.
This approach is taken in other jurisdictions, and there is strong international evidence that it is to the benefit of children.
Where parents are not engaged in work or study, the NCS subsidises up to 20 hours per week.
Where parents are engaged in work or study, the NCS subsidises up to 45 hours of per week.
The definition of work or study is broad, covering all forms of work or study arrangements: full-time, part-time, week-on/ week-off and zero hour contracts. In addition, the minimum hours required to engage in work or study to qualify for enhanced hours is very low – at just two hours per week.
The NCS also includes sponsorship arrangements that allows for additional support for vulnerable families where there is an identified need for early learning and childcare on the grounds of child development or child welfare.
External assessment by the OECD and ESRI point to a range of benefits of NCS, including a reduction in the cost of early learning and childcare and an increase in family income, with the most disadvantaged families experiencing the greatest gains.
I recently contracted Frontier Economics to undertake a review of the NCS. This review will assess the effectiveness of the NCS in meeting the objectives which are meaningfully measurable within the first year of the Scheme. This Review may suggest enhancements to the NCS to better fulfill its objectives.
Separately, an Expert Group has been convened by my Department to develop a new funding model for early learning and childcare. This Group is reviewing the effectiveness of current approaches to funding and will submit recommendations later this year on how additional funding could be structured to deliver for children and families. These recommendation will include a particular focus on children and families experiencing disadvantage.
