Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 November 2025
548. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the contingency measures which are in place to support families who lose childcare places as a result of providers withdrawing from core funding or ceasing operations; the extent to which her Department is tracking the emerging capacity gap at local and regional level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65052/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Children is aware that a small number of service providers have regrettably chosen to withdraw from the Core Funding scheme. However, uptake of Core Funding remains strong. The fourth year of Core Funding began on 1 September and as of 18 November there were over 4,550 services signed up to Year 4 of Core Funding, a 5 per cent increase on this time last year. This is the highest number of Partner Services in Core Funding at any point since the scheme was launched in 2022 and the number continues to grow.
It should be noted that of the 507 services that withdrew from Core Funding in the first three years of the scheme, 356 services were contracted to Core Funding as of August 5, 2025 - meaning over 70% of services who withdrew, subsequently returned to Core Funding.
While the State cannot mandate providers to participate in the scheme, Core Funding has been designed with maximum participation of providers in mind as reflected in the year-on-year growth of investment in the Scheme (rising from €259 million in 2022 to over €405 million in 2026). This represents an increase of 57% in Core Funding in four years.
Participation in Core Funding is optional, but it remains open to all Tulsa-registered providers, subject to their agreement to the terms and conditions of the Core Funding Agreement. It is a matter for providers to decide whether they wish to sign up to Core Funding and benefit from the significant financial supports it offers to providers and the certainty it gives to parents through the associated fee management measures.
The Department has a list of all Core Funding Partner Services which is updated regularly on the Department’s website under How to Find a Partner Service.
Parents/guardians can also use the following website to find Core Funding Partner Services in their area: Childcare Service Search · Applicant Portal
City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) offer a range of assistance to parents in Ireland to help them find and access childcare services in their local area.
CCCs maintain an updated directory of local Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services, including full day care, part-time day care, sessional services, and childminders. This helps parents identify available options. They help parents understand the different types of childcare available and discuss which option would best suit their family's specific needs and circumstances (e.g., part-time, full-time, or school-age care).
They provide information and support on government funding programmes that help reduce fees. This includes the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, and the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) for children with disabilities. They are also available to help parents understand and complete the application processes for these various financial assistance schemes.
CCCs can assist in identifying services in their area that have current vacancies, which is particularly helpful in areas with high demand. They guide parents on what to look for when visiting a service, what questions to ask, and how to make an informed decision that aligns with their child's needs. They may also refer parents to Tusla inspection reports, which are publicly available online.
Parents can contact their local CCC directly for this information and support. Contact details for all City and County Childcare Committees are available on the gov.ie website.
Overall, early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2023/24 shows that the estimated number of enrolments has increased by 19% in the previous two years. However, it appears that demand for Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare remains high with limited vacancies particularly for younger children and in certain parts of the country.
The development of a forward planning model is currently underway using the expertise of statisticians on secondment from the Central Statistics Office and other specialists. The model seeks to identify the nature and volume of different types of early learning and childcare places across the country and how that aligns with the numbers of children in the corresponding age cohorts at local area level. An extensive data analysis and cleaning exercise is currently being undertaken to map available publicly subsidised supply. This involves combining data from multiple administrative sources, including child population data, using GIS (Geographical Information System) mapping tools.
The analysis of the Forward Planning model will provide a key input into the approach to the capital programme to be resourced through the allocation in the revised National Development Plan 2026-30.
Current data on childcare capacity at county level is available at www.pobal.ie/childcare/capacity/.
The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help parents reduce the cost of early learning and childcare in the form of a subsidy paid directly to the childcare provider. Subsidies are available for children aged between 24 weeks and 15 years of age. The minimum rate available to all families in Ireland is €2.14 per hour, which is available for up to 45 weekly hours. Depending on the child's age and the family's income, an additional income assessed subsidy may be available to provide additional support.
All Tusla registered providers are eligible to offer the National Childcare Scheme and avail of the supports the subsidy provides. Services are eligible for the same NCS supports irrespective of if they are a Partner Service with Core Funding or not.
