Written answers

Wednesday, 3 May 2006

Department of Health and Children

Child Care Services

9:00 pm

Photo of Olwyn EnrightOlwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 188: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the maximum grant available for pre-school support; the number of hours required to qualify for the maximum grant; if additional funding is available to children with special needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15968/06]

Photo of Brian Lenihan JnrBrian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Funding for childcare facilities is provided by the Office of the Minister for Children under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP) 2000-2006, which is co-funded by the European Union and the Exchequer, and under the new, Exchequer funded, National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010.

Capital grant assistance is available to both community based/not for profit organisations and private sector childcare providers, for both preschool children and school-going children out of school hours, to build, renovate or equip childcare services where a proposal meets with the programme objectives. The level of funding which may be allocated to a particular project is determined by a number of criteria, including the extent to which the project caters for children with special requirements. In the case of private sector childcare providers, the maximum grant under the EOCP was €50,790. Under the new Programme, the grant for this sector has been increased to €100,000. In the case of community sector groups, an overall ceiling of €1.4 million per individual grant allocation is currently applied.

In areas of significant disadvantage, staffing grants are available to community based groups providing childcare services which meet the needs of disadvantaged parents. To benefit from funding, groups must pay particular attention to supporting disadvantaged families and to the implementation of a fee structure tailored to the differing economic circumstances of their client group thereby ensuring that childcare places subsidised by the EOCP are targeted towards those most in need. Facilities providing only limited hours of service may not qualify for such funding. While this will vary, non school age childcare facilities are encouraged to provide a minimum service of 3.5 hours per session and to remain open for up to 46 weeks per annum. Staffing grants under the EOCP will continue in place until the end of 2007.

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