Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 March 2022
314. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children currently enrolled in school-age children, SAC, services only; the current spend per head; and the number of those children availing of a pick-up service. [15597/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraData from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2020/21, gathered in June 2021, estimated that there were 181,565 children enrolled in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) services nationally. Of these children, approximately 18% were classified as school-going children. These data refer only to ELC and SAC services in contract to deliver DCEDIY funding schemes. In addition to these services, there are up to 600 standalone SAC services registered with Tusla providing services to school-going children but not in contract to provide DCEDIY funding schemes.
In relation to SAC current spend per head, the data below presents the average fee charged by services for SAC (in term and out of term). These data are also drawn from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile, gathered in June 2021.
|
County |
|
SAC in term average hourly fee |
SAC out of term average weekly fee |
|
Dublin - Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown |
|
€6.50 |
€199.52 |
|
Wicklow |
|
€6.15 |
€177.36 |
|
Cork City |
|
€5.96 |
€155.31 |
|
Kildare |
|
€5.93 |
€165.52 |
|
Dublin - Fingal |
|
€5.74 |
€183.19 |
|
Meath |
|
€5.74 |
€174.57 |
|
Kilkenny |
|
€5.68 |
€164.44 |
|
Dublin - Dublin City |
|
€5.64 |
€171.35 |
|
Cork County |
|
€5.50 |
€177.48 |
|
Dublin - South Dublin |
|
€5.48 |
€180.74 |
|
Westmeath |
|
€5.46 |
€172.31 |
|
Wexford |
|
€5.44 |
€172.88 |
|
Louth |
|
€5.31 |
€165.48 |
|
Limerick |
|
€5.29 |
€157.55 |
|
Grand Total |
|
€5.25 |
€168.46 |
|
Carlow |
|
€5.16 |
€144.00 |
|
Cavan |
|
€5.02 |
€156.81 |
|
Sligo |
|
€5.01 |
€152.41 |
|
Waterford |
|
€5.00 |
€180.96 |
|
Clare |
|
€4.99 |
€166.88 |
|
Mayo |
|
€4.96 |
€159.15 |
|
Tipperary |
|
€4.93 |
€158.83 |
|
Kerry |
|
€4.89 |
€169.67 |
|
Galway |
|
€4.86 |
€163.88 |
|
Offaly |
|
€4.82 |
€161.67 |
|
Roscommon |
|
€4.68 |
€160.57 |
|
Longford |
|
€4.58 |
€151.88 |
|
Laois |
|
€4.58 |
€165.91 |
|
Leitrim |
|
€4.49 |
€167.00 |
|
Donegal |
|
€4.31 |
€164.52 |
|
Monaghan |
|
€4.28 |
€146.72 |
On the question of the number of children availing of a pickup service, this specific data is not available. However, data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile showed that one in five of all ELC and SAC services who responded to the survey offered some level of transport; of whom 13% offer both drop-off and pick-up, 6% offer pick-up only and 1% offer drop-off only.
