Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2019
506. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of persons receiving childcare subsidies through either training and education or childcare subvention; and the number of the recipients that are lone parents. [17605/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe TEC Programme is an overarching childcare programme funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and is specifically designed to support parents/guardians on eligible Education and Training Board training courses, as well as certain categories of parents/guardians returning to work, by providing subsidised childcare places. No statistical information regarding lone parent status is gathered as part of the registration process.
In the current programme year 2018-2019, there are 3,157 children registered in TEC programmes.
The Community Childcare Subvention programmes provide childcare funding support targeting low income families in private childcare services and community childcare services. No information regarding lone parent status is gathered as part of the registration process however there are 71,355 children registered in CCS/P programmes.
Eligibility for the CCS/P programmes is determined by the status of the applying parent/guardian with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP). Under the “One Parent Family” eligibility type there are 8,400 parents registered on PIP for the current programme year 2018-2019.
As part of the Pobal Early Years Sector Report 2017-2018, almost three quarters of survey respondents (2,875 services) reported having children attending who come from one parent families. In total, 20,977 one parent families were reported to be availing of childcare in services that responded to the service profile survey. Of these, just over half of one parent families (51%) availed of childcare from community services.
