Ensuring high-quality early learning and childcare is affordable and accessible is a policy priority for my Department. This is reflected in a range of national policies and strategies.
Project Ireland 2040 and the National Development Plan 2021-2030 recognise early learning and childcare and school age childcare as a critical part of the nation’s infrastructure, both as a core element of the education system for children and a prerequisite of job creation and labour market participation for parents. €89 million has been allocated to this sector under the revised NDP over the period 2023-2026.
First 5: A Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families (2019-2028) includes as strategic actions to “maintain and extend the supply of high-quality publicly subsidised early learning and care and school-age childcare to best serve the developmental needs of babies and young children, ensuring that it also reflects the needs and preferences of parents and families”.
The recently published First 5 Implementation Plan 2023-2025 describes the steps that will be taken in the over the next three years under this strategic action. It sets a target of 60,000 ELC places for children under 3 by 2028, in line with the Revised Barcelona Targets.
My Department is progressing a range of actions to ensure the supply of early learning and childcare meets demand, with work in this area led by a new Supply Management Unit that I established earlier this year.
The Unit will also oversee the administration of new capital investment under the National Development Plan, with two strands of funding rolling out this year and next under the Building Blocks Capacity Grant.
The primary focus of the Building Blocks Grant Schemes is to increase capacity in the 1-3 year old, pre-ECCE, age range for full day or part-time care. This will be delivered through funding for expansion and extension of existing services, with prioritisation for services in areas of high demand versus supply.
The Building Blocks Expansion Grant Scheme offers funding for internal reconfiguration projects valued at between €50,000 and €100,000 that increase capacity. Applications for the Expansion Grant closed on 3rd April and the outcome of the appraisal process will be made known shortly.
The Building Blocks Extension scheme will offer funding for larger scale projects valued between €100,000 and €500,000 to enable existing services to build new capacity on their current site or nearby. The application process for the Extension Grant scheme will open in the coming months. This scheme will make available funding for larger-scale projects existing services are in a position to extend. This scheme will also focus on creating additional places for younger children in the 1-3 age category.
As well as these schemes, my Department is engaging with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to progress the updating of the 2001 Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities on Early Learning and Childcare Settings.
In addition, Core Funding, which began 2022, has proven to be effective in expanding capacity. Year 2 of the scheme provided for capacity growth of 3%, which has materialised and for Year 3 of the scheme, further funding will be directed towards a further 3% increase in capacity in the sector.
Also, under the National Action Plan for Childminding, I have committed to opening up access to the National Childcare Scheme to parents who use childminders following the extension of regulation to childminders this autumn.
