Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 July 2017
1457. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of whole-time equivalent staff working in the child care sector, by qualification level, or working grade. [36093/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI would like to bring it to the Deputy's attention that there is no professional registry for early years professionals. Data on the number of staff working in the child care sector is gathered annually through the Early Years Sector Profile. This is a survey which is administered by Pobal in conjunction with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs with the aim of providing a national picture of services providing early childhood care and education in Ireland.
For the most recent figures, the best indicator is the Early Years Sector Profile Report 2015-16, which was published in November 2016. The survey on which the Report is based was completed by 79 per cent of child care providers in April 2016. Pobal have extrapolated the figures provided in the Report in order to establish the qualification levels for early years practitioners at a national level. It is estimated that there are 23,291 early years practitioners currently employed in private and community services. Of these, 7,418 hold a level 5 qualification on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), 8,926 hold a level 6 qualification on the NFQ, 1,215 hold a level 7 qualification on the NFQ , while 2,687 hold a level 8 qualification on the NFQ qualification.
The Early Years Sector Report 2015-2016 can be found on Pobal's website, www.pobal.ie.
The figures for mid-2017 will become available in the coming months, when this year’s data has been gathered and analysed.
