Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:"acknowledges the importance of: — early childhood care and education as a vital element of promoting positive outcomes for children; and — affordable, accessible and high quality child care for parents of school-age children in enabling them to participate in training, education and paid employment; acknowledges and supports the valuable role played by early childhood professionals; welcomes: — the support given through the learner fund to staff who need to upskill to new qualification levels and the payment of a higher capitation grant on the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme for higher qualified staff; and — the introduction of the better start national early years quality support service – a national co-ordinated approach to supporting quality in child care services; acknowledges the importance of continuing co-operation between the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and the Minister for Education and Skills in this key area and welcomes the steps taken by the Department of Education and Skills in developing the Síolta and Aistear quality and curriculum frameworks for children aged under six years, and more recently the announcement by the Minister for Education and Skills of a review of all levels of education and training in the sector which will support quality improvement; further welcomes: — the Government’s commitment to supporting high quality, accessible and affordable child care for parents, represented by a total annual investment in the region of €260 million, benefiting over 100,000 children, in a range of child care programmes for children, including the preschool ECCE scheme as well as a range of supports for low income parents; — the Government's continuing commitment to early childhood care and education, as demonstrated by protecting, in budget 2015, its annual investment of some €175 million in funding for the ECCE scheme, which benefits 68,000 children annually, and which is equivalent to an average annual benefit to parents in the region of €2,500; and — the Government’s commitment to maximising the returns that can accrue from investing in child care by supporting children’s cognitive, social and emotional development, and generating long-term returns to children, families and society more broadly; supports the Government’s policy of seeking accessible, affordable, high quality child care as a vital means of achieving a number of key priorities including improving educational outcomes for children, reducing poverty and increasing parents’ participation in the labour market and welcomes the support of the Minister for Social Protection in providing funding for the initial phase of the after-school child care scheme in 2013; notes that the forthcoming early years strategy will set out policies and priorities across a wide range of areas for children under the age of six, including, but not limited to, early childhood care and education; acknowledges that parents need access to affordable, high quality child care both at preschool level and for children during their school years, and welcomes the Government's decision to establish a high level inter-departmental group, which will report to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs by the summer, and which will set out a coherent whole-of-Government approach to future investment in child care by:— clarifying the policy objectives to guide future investment; — reviewing current provision in light of those objectives; — analysing evidence and best practice in relation to how best to achieve those objectives; — identifying and assessing options for future investment, conducting a cost-benefit analysis on each option; and — making recommendations for future investment; andsupports the implementation of Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures – the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014-2020 as a key means of making Ireland one of the best small countries in the world in which to grow up and to raise a family." - (Minister for Children and Youth Affairs)

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