Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 July 2023
226. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of service providers that have opted into the core funding model since its introduction; the number that did not opt in; and the number that have since withdrawn. [34670/23]
View answerCore Funding, which began in September 2022, is the new funding scheme under Together for Better the new funding model for early learning and childcare. The primary purpose of Core Funding is to improve pay and conditions in the sector as a whole and improve affordability for parents as well as ensuring a stable income to providers.
Core Funding offers greater stability and sustainability for providers by substantially increasing the overall investment in the sector, particularly through a supply-side funding approach and in providing funding for spaces rather than participating children. Services can choose to spend their Core Funding on a wide range of expenditure areas related to the delivery of a quality service.
The original Core Funding allocation of €207 million secured in Budget 2022 increased to €221 million in spring 2022 at a time when cost pressures were significantly increasing. This further increased to €259 million based on significant capacity growth in sector in Budget 2023. For the second year of operation, Core Funding has increased by €28 million, an 11% increase, to a total of €287million.
With 95% of eligible services signed up for Core Funding in year 1, these benefits for parents, providers, staff and children are felt widely across the sector.
There are 4,452 services eligible [1] to sign up to Core Funding for Programme Year 2022/2023 and of this eligible cohort 4,212 are currently contracted. 7 Services have a ‘Withdrawn’ application since the beginning of Core Funding Programme Year 2022/2033. [2]
[1] Eligible Service = any open service on EYP currently contracted to at least one of the Department’s early learning and childcare programmes.
[2] Data sourced from Pobal as of 10 July 2023
