Early Childhood Care and Education

Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023

Monday, 11 September 2023

Questions (1380)

Richard Bruton

Question:

1380. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is planning to reform the system under which some AIM workers with children have to sign on for jobseeker’s benefit during school vacations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37490/23]

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) operates in tandem with the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Provision of AIM supports are directly linked with participation in the ECCE programme and hours of operation.

Early learning and childcare services are private businesses and their policies on operating hours and staffing are a matter for the service provider. As such, the decision to close a service during non-ECCE periods, e.g. over the summer, lies with the service provider. The State does not employ staff in early learning and care (ELC) services.

I am very conscious of the need for improvement in pay and working conditions for early year’s educators. While my Department does not determine early year’s educators working conditions, it has provided a range of supports to service providers to enable them to improve wages, working conditions and support the recruitment and retention of staff.

One of the commitments in First 5, the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, was to undertake an evaluation of AIM and subject to evaluation findings and other relevant developments, to consider enhancements to, and/or extension of, AIM to, for example, all early learning and care services, all school-age childcare services and to children with additional needs other than a disability. Included in this consideration would be extending AIM (including level 7 AIM) to time outside of ECCE or through school holidays if the service opened during that period. An End-of-Year-Three evaluation of the AIM programme has now been completed, with the final report due to be published by the end of 2023 to inform such decisions.