Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
901. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality regarding special arrangements under the national childcare scheme for vulnerable children, facilities in the Dublin mid-west constituency that currently have placement availability remaining under this scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37176/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
Families can use a valid CHICK with any Tusla-registered provider that has a place available, including childminders, regardless of whether this relates to a universal or income-assessed application or a sponsorship referral. The Sponsor CHICK is used to register a child as standard, depending on the availability of a place with the families chosen early learning and childcare provider.
The number of early learning and childcare services participating in the NCS in 2026 (YTD) in the Dublin Mid-West constituency is 102 - a 5% increase on the previous year. A total of 5,087 unique children benefitted from an NCS claim in this area for 2026 (YTD), which is a 10% increase on the previous year. Specifically relating to sponsorship, 293 unique children have benefitted from an NCS Sponsor claim in 2026 (YTD) compared to 234 children in the previous year - a 25% increase.
Specifically regarding vacancies, each year, Pobal compiles data from early learning and childcare providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile. The published capacity data in the Early Years Sector Profile provides an estimate of the number of children enrolled in services and the percentage of services with at least one vacant place at a given time.
Data for the Early Years Sector Profile is typically captured in May/June of each programme year. It should be noted that data is not collated by the Department according to constituency, and the most closely aligning data available to address the Deputy's question relates to South Dublin. On the basis of data for the 2024/25 programme year, it is indicated that 35% of services in South Dublin had at least one vacant place.
The Department funds 30 City/County Childcare Committees, which provide support and assist families and early learning and childcare providers. The network of 30 City/County Childcare Committees across the country can assist in identifying vacant places in services for children and families who need them and engage proactively with services to explore possibilities for expansion among services, particularly where there is unmet need.
Parents experiencing difficulty in relation to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee for assistance. Contact details for the City/County Childcare Committee may be found at: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/city-and-county-childcare-committees.
