Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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26. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of childcare services availing of the new Equal Start support package; if he has plans to expand the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38532/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Equal Start is a major new model of Government-funded supports to ensure children experiencing disadvantage can access and meaningfully participate in early learning and childcare. Equal Start was launched in May and the first phase of implementation commenced in September.

Around 750 services have been targeted for supports under Equal Start as they have been objectively found to have the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage.

To date, 668 services have completed the contractual process to enable payment with the remaining services expected to complete the process in the coming weeks.

Provision of funding to services with the highest level of need is the first stage in the commencement of Equal Start implementation will significantly improve the experience for children and early years educators in services in areas of concentrated disadvantage.

For the 24/25 programme year this includes additional staffing supports providing for a 15% increase in staffing hours for Tier 1 services and 8% for tier 2 services based on the minimum staffing required under regulation. It also includes additional supports for Traveller and Roma families delivered through Better Start and Tusla, language and literacy measures including the roll-out of Early Talk Boost and developmental measures to enable delivery of next phase supports.

The full year cost of Budget 2024 measures is €13.1m

From Budget 2025, additional funding of €4m million will be provided for the following new development measures:

• Additional Nutrition Programme - €3 million to design and cost a scheme for additional meals to be provided in Equal Start targeted ELC and SAC settings beyond minimum regulatory requirements.
• Parent Community Coordinator Training - €750,000 for new role in services to enhance parental engagement.
• Update and roll out Diversity Equality and training and other development measures - €250,000.