Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 October 2017
628. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if there are supports for community childcare facilities to pick up children for provision of after-school care; and if not, if she will review same. [43022/17]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, my Department provides subvention through a number of childcare schemes. Two of these schemes:
- Childcare Education and Training, CETS, which provides childcare to eligible participants on certain training courses provided by Education and Training Boards, and secondary school students;
- After-school Child Care Programme, ASCC, for parents of primary aged children on certain DSEAP employment programmes;
include provision for enhanced subvention rates to cover transport requirements.
In financial terms, this means that for five days provision per week, the parents' fees (not counting the initial 14 week top-up that applies) can be subvented by €35 extra per week to cover transport.
In addition, on 17 August this year, I announced €1.2 million of funding to improve existing school-age childcare services. As a result, 263 after-school services benefitted from grants from my Department. Some of these grants were put toward after-school services purchasing vehicles to facilitate the pick-up and drop-off of school-aged children from their services.
