Dr. Naomi Feely:

Yes, sure. For a family attending an Equal Start service, the service will have increased resources as regards the staff time that can be offered. There will be phased implementation of the entire plan. Additional supports are being offered around food, which is critical. We saw in a survey we conducted last year of early childhood education and care providers that the issue of food is of critical concern for many families. Specific supports are provided around that. Within Equal Start there is also specific targeting of groups such as Traveller children and families, providing additional supports within the service. It could be through a specific support worker. It means that families who go to those services will benefit from the additional resources the service has, whether that be additional support within the day of operation of the early years service or children being able to access food while they are at the childcare service.