Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 June 2024
36. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on his Department’s efforts to reduce childcare costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26077/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare.
This new funding model supports the delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good, for affordability, accessibility and quality for children and families as well as sustainability for providers.
Through Together for Better, my Department provides a number of schemes which offset the cost of early learning and childcare to families.
The ECCE programme, which provides two years of pre-school without charge, enjoys participation rates of 96% each year. Over 70% of families on low income report that they would not be able to send their child to pre-school without this programme.
The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) complements the ECCE programme, providing subsidies – both universal and targeted - to reduce the costs to parents for children to participate in early learning and childcare.
Since January 2023 - with the increase in the minimum NCS subsidy to €1.40 per hour – out of pocket costs to families have fallen by 25% on average. From this September, the minimum subsidy will increase again to €2.14 per hour – and the cumulative reduction in out of pocket is estimated to reach 50% on average.
As of 6th June 2024, the total number of children who have benefited from the NCS subsidy now stands at 165, 052.
Finally, the fee freeze in place in 95% of early learning and childcare services as a result of the Core Funding scheme ensures that the investment in NCS has resulted in real change for parents and not been absorbed by fee increases.
Record numbers of children and their families are now benefiting from the NCS.
Later this year, an estimated 2,000 children in childminding settings will be added to this cohort of beneficiaries, when the initial cohort of childminders come forward for registration with Tusla enabling the NCS to be opened up to families using these childminders for the first time.
