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Early Childhood Care and Education Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 May 2019

Tuesday, 28 May 2019

Ceisteanna (430)

Jack Chambers

Ceist:

430. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the notice periods for childcare providers to give a parent whose child is occupying an ECCE place; if days or weeks notice is required in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22710/19]

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Freagraí scríofa

Early Childcare Care and Education (ECCE) services are either privately run or operated by community/not for profit services. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs is not the owner or operator of any childcare service, but through a Funding Agreement provides a range of funding supports, through capitation payments and other programmes, to support the sector. My Department generally cannot prescribe the enrolment policies of private businesses. Accordingly, the notice period that a childcare provider gives to a parent/guardian of a child occupying an ECCE place is subject to this private agreement and therefore outside of our remit.

In relation to parents securing childcare places on our programmes, our requirement regarding parental notice on our childcare schemes are based solely to my Department's public funding obligations and the administration of the childcare schemes by service providers. In order to accommodate the smooth registration of children on our childcare programmes, we do ask parents who wish to remove a child or move them to another service to provide their current service provider with four weeks notice (where possible) in order to provide a space for that service provider to de-register the child from their service, thus enabling my Department to cease payments to that service in relation to that child. This notice period prevents the IT payment system from declining their child's registration in their new chosen service due to a 'double registration' scenario.

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