Written answers

Wednesday, 15 February 2017

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Child Care Services Funding

Photo of Fiona O'LoughlinFiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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303. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when she plans to announce funding that will be allocated to preschool providers nationwide; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7597/17]

Photo of Katherine ZapponeKatherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Budget 2017 provided for additional funding for childcare providers nationwide under several different headings. I will be providing, for the first time, an additional payment for providers at the end of the ECCE year to take account of the administrative work they are required to complete - some providers refer to this as 'non-contact time'. This will be equivalent to seven days' ECCE payment at the peak (post-April) enrolment. I will also be providing a similar payment to providers of the CCS and other targeted childcare schemes. €14.5million is provided for these payments.

In addition to this, I have secured funding for Capital projects for Early Years and after-school childcare provision. The criteria for application for these are in the final stages of development and I hope to open this grant programme for applications in the coming weeks. The total funding available under these two capital schemes will be €7.5 million.

A small number of providers will also be provided additional funding in the coming weeks, where their sustainability has been challenged by the full implementation of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016.

Comments

Niamh Leeney
Posted on 17 Feb 2017 2:14 pm (Report this comment)

Can you please provide further clarification on this " non contact" time payment? That is, a payment per how many children? And when exactly this payment might be received by providers?

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