Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government.

Data available to my Department demonstrate that, overall, early learning and childcare provision is expanding, specifically:

• Data from the Early Years Sector Profile Survey shows that, between 2021/22 and 2022/23, the estimated number of enrolments in services rose by 8% from 197,210 to 213,154.
• Core Funding application data shows that between Year 1 (from September 2022-August 2023) and Year 2 (from September 2023-August 2024) of the scheme, annual place hours increased by 7.4%.
• Data from Tusla on service closures and new service registrations shows a net increase of 129 in the overall number of services in 2023 and a five-year low in the number of net ELC services closures – with pre-school service closures falling by 18% in the first year of Core Funding.
• Data from the Early Years Sector Profile Survey showing that, between 2021/22 and 2022/23, the estimated number of staff in the early learning and childcare workforce rose by 8% from 34,357 to 37,060.
• Data from the NCS showing that since 2022, there has been a 22 per cent increase in the number of providers offering the Scheme, a 100 per cent increase in the numbers of children benefitting from the Scheme and a 52 per cent increase in the number of sponsored children.

At the same time, there are also instances of underutilisation of capacity with some services reporting vacant places and others not operating to the maximum of their Tusla capacity.

There is also evidence that demand for places is increasing and, for certain cohorts and in certain areas, outstripping supply. This is partly driven by the significant improvements in affordability that have been achieved in recent years and I acknowledge that some families experience challenges in accessing places, particularly for younger children.

My Department has in place a range of supports and funding schemes to support the delivery of early learning and childcare places but services are independently operated, either by community not-for-profit or by private for-profit providers. It is important also to note that demand can vary significantly in line with families’ individual composition, circumstances and preferences; employment patterns and income; and the price and availability of services.

An important project that I have initiated this year is the development of a forward planning model to develop a better understanding of the nature of supply and how it relates to demand and in order to support the delivery of more early learning and childcare places in the parts of the country where they are needed.

The model will identify the quantum and volume of different types of early learning and childcare places across the country, whether or not those places are occupied and how that aligns with the numbers of children in the corresponding age cohorts at local area level.

In addition to the design and implementation of the major current funding streams such as Core Funding, the NCS and ECCE which all influence the volume and type of provision in place, my Department administers capital investment under the revised NDP. Some €89 million has been allocated to my Department between 2023 and 2026. The primary focus of the Building Blocks Capacity Grant Schemes is to increase capacity in the 1-3 year old, pre-ECCE, age range for full day or part-time care.

During 2024 and 2025, Building Blocks Capacity Grant schemes will operate. The Building Blocks Capacity Grant has two strands, an Expansion scheme and an Extension scheme to support existing services to increase capacity.

Under the Building Blocks Expansion Grant scheme, which is operating in 2024, grants of between €25,000 and €100,000 were awarded to projects to undertake renovation or upgrades to existing space to cater for more children. Funding has been paid to 22 services and will deliver 290 new places, primarily in the 1-3 year old cohort.

Under the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme, some €25 million will be available in 2025 to deliver additional capacity. Under the scheme, community and private providers may apply for funding between to physically extend their premises. In addition, community providers may apply for funding to purchase or to construct new premises.

Appraisal of applications for this scheme considers the supply and demand in the area around the proposed projects and seeks to prioritise funding for areas with the biggest supply/demand mismatch. I hope to announce further details of the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme in the coming weeks.

My Department is currently engaging with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to examine and review the 2001 Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities on Early Learning and Childcare Settings with a view to updating them.

In addition, under the National Action Plan for Childminding, I have committed to opening up access to the National Childcare Scheme to parents who use childminders following the extension of regulation to childminders. From 30 September, following the commencement of the Childminding Regulations, it will be possible for childminders to start applying to Tusla to go through the registration process. Once registered by Tusla, childminders can then also apply to take part in the National Childcare Scheme. This will increase the numbers of funded and regulated early learning and childcare places available.