Written answers
Wednesday, 7 February 2024
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Childcare Services
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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459. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the measures in place to ensure that parents who have no alternative but to enrol their child in a non-participating provider, continue to benefit from the subsidy towards their childcare costs, in view of the prospect of childcare providers in the first instance refusing to enter the core funding model scheme, or in the second instance exiting the core funding model scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5496/24]
Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Early learning and childcare providers offer a crucial service, however it must be noted that they are private entities. As such, it is a matter for each provider to decide whether they enter into any contractual arrangement with my Department – including Core Funding. It is important to note that 94% of services, over 4,300 services, have signed up to Core Funding and applications remain open.
However, an early learning and childcare service does not need to opt in to Core Funding in order to offer the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). Services contract separately on an annual basis to participate in the NCS. At present, over 3,695 early learning and childcare providers are contracted to offer the Scheme – an 8.3% increase on the previous year.
I do appreciate the difficulties caused when a parent’s preferred early learning and childcare provider does not engage with Core Funding. However, parents can still use their awarded subsidy to reduce the cost of childcare through any NCS registered provider. Similarly once a childcare service is taking part in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), parents can avail of the free universal two-year preschool programme regardless of whether the service has opted in to Core Funding.
A list of NCS participating services may be found on www.ncs.gov.ie/en/childcare-search/.
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