Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 September 2020
532. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration the supports he will consider for villages such as Kilmihil, County Clare, in which there is significant demand for a breakfast club and after-school club for children whose parents are struggling to find childcare. [23628/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 10 June 2020, my Department announced a €75m package of funding to facilitate the reopening of early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services.
The new funding package contains a number of significant elements including a once-off reopening support payment (RSP), a once-off COVID-19 capital grant and continued access for eligible providers to the Revenue-operated Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS).
The closing date for both the RSP and the Covid-19 capital grant has been extended from 28 August to 18 September 2020.
My Department continues to provide funding for all ELC and SAC subsidy schemes for the 2020/21 programme year at existing capitation and subsidy rates.
As part of the July stimulus package childcare services now have access to the Revenue operated Employment Wage Subsidy scheme (EWSS). A special exemption for early learning and childcare services to the 30% turnover rule within EWSS has been included to recognise the need to retain capacity in the sector and support parents to access childcare places and get back to work.
My Department oversees a Case Management process through which local City and County Childcare Committees (CCC’s) and Pobal work together to assess and provide support to early learning and care services who may need assistance.
Financial supports, which may also be accessed through the Case Management process, are available for community services presenting with sustainability issues and following a financial assessment by Pobal.
Pobal co-ordinate the overall case management process with the CCC administering initial, and on-going, case management assistance. The CCC, where appropriate, will proceed to make a formal notification to Pobal who will provide more consolidated support while verifying the service’s necessity for a financial intervention. All services who require support should contact their local CCC in the first instance. The contact details for all CCCs can be found on www.myccc.ie.
A significant range of online resources and guidance available to support service providers, practitioners and parents to prepare for the safe reopening of ELC and SAC settings, including childminders, are available in the Guidance for Reopening webpage on the First 5 website.
My Department will run a new capital programme in 2021 details of which will issue to all services later in the year.
If parents or guardians are having difficulty in accessing childcare, they should contact their local County Childcare Committees (CCCs), who will provide them with advice and support on accessing both centre based care and home based options, such as childminders. The contact details for all CCCs can be found on www.myccc.ie.
