Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Question 57: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans for developing and improving a national child care service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15112/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Government currently supports the provision of early childhood care and education through three support programmes, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme, and the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme. These programmes are implemented by my Department.

The ECCE programme was introduced in January 2010 and provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. Almost every pre-school service in the State is participating in the programme, ensuring it is available to children in all areas. About 66,000 children, that is approximately 95% of the eligible cohort, are availing of the free pre-school provision at this time. In line with the Programme for Government, my Department has made a significant commitment to maintaining the universal free pre-school year and to developing early childhood care and education as resources allow. In this context the funding for the pre-school year has been increased from €166 million in 2011 to €175.8 million in 2012 to cater for changing demographics, and provide for the increased number of children in the relevant age cohort.

It is also my objective to incrementally develop the ECCE programme over the term of this Government as resources permit. A key element of this is the implementation of the Workforce Development Plan by the Early Education Policy Unit of the Department of Education and Skills, which is co-located in my Department. The Workforce Development Plan identified different distinct groups including new entrants to the workforce who wish to become appropriately qualified for specific occupational roles and responsibilities, and unqualified practitioners in the current workforce who want to achieve a Level 5 award. For new entrants to the workforce the publication of Common Award Standards at NFQ Levels 4, 5 and 6 is a welcome development.

Programmes of learning developed to meet these new award standards will incorporate national practice frameworks and will reflect national policy objectives, thereby ensuring that graduates of these programmes are fully prepared to enter the workforce. Training providers have begun to develop new programmes to meet these award standards and, subject to validation by FETAC, the first of these, the FETAC Level 5 Major Award in Early Childhood Care and Education, will come on stream shortly through the VECs. For unqualified practitioners in the current workforce who want to achieve a Level 5 Award, my Department part-subsidises an on-line course which was developed by one of the Voluntary Childcare Organisations.

Officials from my Department worked closely with the Department of Education and Skills in the development of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, and I welcome the recognition of the role of early childhood care and education. The Strategy was formally launched by my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, last year. My Department is committed to incentivising the early years sector to acquire additional skills in oral language competency development for young children once this minimum qualification requirements of the ECCE programme have been met.

The CCS programme supports community-based childcare services by enabling them to provide childcare at reduced rates to disadvantaged and low income families. These not-for-profit facilities provide childcare at cost price with reductions to qualifying parents based on the level of subvention they are entitled to under the programme.

The CETS programme was introduced in September 2010. Under the CETS programme, funding is provided by my Department to participating childcare services in return for the provision of free childcare places to qualifying students and trainees. The eligibility criteria under which students and trainees qualify under the programme is determined by FÁS and the VECs. Approximately 2,800 full time equivalent childcare places are currently funded under the programme.

I am pleased that all three support programmes are being retained despite the ongoing need to reduce Government expenditure. While there has been some revision to payment rates and subvention levels I am satisfied that the programmes are being implemented in a way which generates efficiencies and improvements in outcomes, within available resources.

In December 2011, the Government announced a new Capital Funding Programme for childcare facilities. This grant will provide capital funding of €6m this year to both community and private childcare providers currently participating in one or more of the childcare programmes The capital grant, which provides funding of up to €50,000 for maintenance works, is designed to ensure that childcare facilities are in a position to continue in the future to deliver quality care and education as required under the programmes.

Future developments relating to early years care and education will be considered during preparation of the new National Early Years Strategy 2012. This Strategy will be developed during 2012 and will cover a range of issues affecting children in their first years of life.