Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2023
479. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware of any assistance available to childcare providers or summer camp operators, or directly to parents, for children with additional needs who receive supports in school and who wish to access after-school, childcare or summer camps during school holiday periods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32027/23]
View answerThe Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme and reap the benefits of quality early learning and care.
All hours of early learning and childcare and school aged care accessed outside of the ECCE programme hours - either within term or out of term (i.e. during the summer months) - may be subsidised by the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) for a maximum of 45 hours per week.
Furthermore one of the commitments in First 5, A Government Strategy for Babies and Children, is to undertake an end of Three-Year Evaluation of AIM. That evaluation has been undertaken and the draft report has been reviewed by the Cross Sectoral Implementation Group (CSIG), with the final report due to be published later this year.
Subject to evaluation findings and other relevant developments, we will be considering potential enhancements to, and/or extensions of AIM including expanding to children of school-going age who require childcare in after school.
My Department does not have policy responsibility for summer activities that may be organised by local communities or are provided through the private sector. Funding from the Department's Youth Division is to youth groups and clubs around the country, some of which will operate in the summer months.
