Kathleen Funchion
Question:488. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number of unique children availing of NCS in 2022 and 2023, in tabular form. [7619/24]
View answerTuesday, 20 February 2024
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The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help parents meet the cost of childcare. It is available to families with children aged between 24 weeks and 15 years who are attending any participating Tusla registered childcare service, including any Tusla registered childminder.
The success of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) in meeting families needs is evidenced through the increased level of participation in the Scheme. In 2023, a total of 181,786 unique children benefited from a successful NCS claim - a 47% increase on the previous year.
A breakdown of the number of unique children with a successful claim is detailed below according to year:
|
Year |
No. unique children with a successful claim |
|
2022 |
123,439 |
|
2023 |
181,786 |