Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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779. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if school age childcare will be given the same recognition as other preschool childcare services; if it will be recognised that the qualifications needed are different for preschool and early school childcare providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13495/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I fully recognise the value of both early learning and care and school-age childcare. While their roles differ, they are both of importance for children, families, society and the economy. Both pre-school and school-age services have for many years been able to take part in my Department's funding schemes, and both are included within the National Childcare Scheme. While regulations and minimum qualification requirements were introduced for pre-school services some years before their introduction for school-age services, school-age services are similarly on a journey of increasing support and progressive enhancements to quality requirements.

Since the 31st December 2016, all employees of a pre-school service who work directly with children must hold a full, major award in Early Childhood Care and Education at a minimum of Level 5 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), or a qualification deemed equivalent by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

While initial Regulations for school-age childcare came into force in February 2019, those initial Regulations did not include a minimum qualification requirement for work in school-age childcare.

First 5, the Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, includes a commitment that by 2028 all regulated school-age childcare staff will hold a minimum qualification. 

The Workforce Development Plan, work on which began in mid-2019, has a number of objectives, including the identification of appropriate minimum qualification requirements for work in school-age childcare. A public consultation on school-age childcare, including on appropriate qualification requirements, was carried out in 2019. The public consultation included questions on whether different qualifications are required for practitioners working with pre-school and school-age children. Work on the Workforce Development Plan is ongoing.