Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
871. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she will introduce nationally consistent criteria for awarding sponsored childcare places, including clarity on eligibility and hours, given wide regional variation in current practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37007/26]
View answerThe National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help reduce the cost of early learning and childcare for parents. A component of the Scheme is a sponsorship referral which makes special provision for vulnerable children.
The NCS sponsorship arrangement allows designated bodies to refer children to the Scheme where childcare is needed on child welfare, protection, family support or other specified grounds. Where a referral is made by a Sponsor body, the family will automatically qualify for a subsidy without having to satisfy the Scheme’s eligibility, income or enhanced hours requirements.
The NCS Sponsorship criteria are intentionally designed to support vulnerable children and families, and are based on assessments from designated statutory bodies. There are five designated Sponsorship bodies that may refer a child under Section 14 of the Childcare Support Act 2018. Each Sponsor Body has an agreement with this Department as to the distinct grounds for making a referral, as follows:
• The Ministers for Education and Youth / Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science - To support parents under the age of 18 years to remain in education or training through access to early learning and childcare services.
• The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration - To facilitate access to early learning and childcare services for applicants within the meaning of section 2 of the Act of 2015 and programme refugees within the meaning of section 59 of the Act of 2015, so that parents or children can access education, integration and other relevant supports.
• Tusla, Child and Family Agency - To enable participation in an early learning and childcare service as part of the provision of child care and family support services by the Child and Family Agency to promote the welfare of children who are in need of additional care or protection.
• HSE - To enable participation in an early learning and childcare service where there is an identified need for early learning and childcare as an additional support to the home environment to meet child development needs for a child who is under the age of 4 years and who is not enrolled in a pre-school programme funded by the Minister or the Minister for Education and Youth and who would otherwise not attend an early learning and childcare service.
• Local authorities - To support homeless persons (within the meaning of the Housing Act 1988) with children that are homeless or moving out of homelessness to access early learning and childcare services.
Each Sponsor Body also has its own rules regarding age and eligibility, as outlined in the respective Agreements:
|
Education & Youth / / Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science |
Birth to age 15 |
|
Justice, Home Affairs and Migration |
24 weeks to age 15 |
|
Tusla |
Birth to age 15 |
|
HSE |
Birth to age 4 |
|
Local Authorities |
Birth to age 13 |
The Scheme will pay the full cost of early learning and childcare for families referred to the Scheme by a Sponsor Body. The maximum number of funded hours available per week for each Sponsor Body is 45 hours. Persons designated to make referrals under Section 14 of the Childcare Support Act 2018 must decide if the parent meets the criteria for a Sponsored referral and determine how many hours of early learning and childcare is needed based on the family’s individual circumstances.
Finally, the hourly rates are the same across all Sponsorship Bodies. As of September 2024, Sponsored children now receive a rate of €5.30, or €5.87, depending on their age and educational stage.
