Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 December 2022
413. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the financial supports, grants and otherwise that are available for afterschool's; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60945/22]
View answerMy Department’s funding model for early learning and childcare - Together for Better - brings together three major programmes, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the new Core Funding scheme.
Other than the ECCE programme, these programmes are open to Tusla registered school-age childcare settings.
In addition, my Department successfully secured approximately €70m in the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation for the Building Blocks Capital Programme designed to meet current and long-term early learning and childcare infrastructure needs.
The Building Blocks Capital Programme includes three strands:
- €9m Building Blocks - Improvement Grant
- €45m Building Blocks - Capacity Grant
- €15m Building Blocks - Innovation Grant
Applications for the Building Blocks - Improvement Grant (relating to green energy and retrofitting), which will close on 16 of December, are open to Tusla registered services, including school-age childcare services in contract for Core Funding.
School-age childcare service are also eligible to apply for the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS). Under TBESS, businesses engaged in school-age childcare who have suffered an increase of at least 50% in the average unit price of electricity and/or natural gas for the relevant billing period in 2022, as compared with the average unit price for electricity and/or gas for the corresponding reference period in 2021, will be eligible under the scheme
The sustainability of these services is a top priority for Government. School-age childcare services that are experiencing difficulty and who would like support are encouraged to contact their City/County Childcare Committee to access case management supports.
