Written answers

Thursday, 26 May 2022

Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Early Childhood Care and Education

Photo of Kathleen FunchionKathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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294. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of early childhood care and education-only childcare providers, that is, providers that do not offer a service outside of ECCE provision; the amount of annual funding they received; the number of childcare providers in receipt of state funding in same; the amount of annual funding received; the number of providers in receipt of funding that do not provide ECCE; and the amount of annual funding received in 2020 and 2021, respectively. [27054/22]

Photo of Roderic O'GormanRoderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. The programme is provided for three hours per day, five days per week over 38 weeks per year and runs from September to June each year, aligned with the primary school calendar.

The number of services that have only signed an ECCE funding agreement is outlined in the table below.

While these services do not have contracts with my Department for the provision of other funded early learning and childcare schemes, such as the NCS and CCSP/TEC, they may be providing additional early learning and childcare services to parents on a fee paying basis.  If they are providing additional services, they would not be an ECCE only services.  The Department does not collect data from providers on private early learning and childcare arrangements.

With regard to services who have entered into contracts with my Department for subsidy schemes other than ECCE as well as those that have signed a contract in addition to the ECCE contract the data is outlined in the table below. 

Total funding includes all funding paid under all schemes Capital, AIM, etc. for the various scenarios.

Programme  Year 1. ECCE Only 2. ECCE + Other contract 3. No ECCE Contract
Contracts 2020/2021 1,344 2,678 504
Total Funding 2020/2021 €97,944,712 €415,951,210 €19,905,109
Contracts 2021/2022 1,352 2,640 503
Total Funding 2021/2022 €78,767,950 €312,440,587 €12,607,845

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