Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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353. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the childcare funding model that is provided through Pobal; if that model is based on service need or the availability of funding through Pobal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45612/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Pobal is the scheme administrator for all funding programmes under the Together for Better funding model

This funding model supports the delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents and families as well as stability and sustainability for providers.

It brings together the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), Core Funding, the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) and Equal Start.

The ECCE programme is a universal two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range (2 years 8 months before September 1st of the programme year). The programme is delivered over 3 hours per day, 15 hours per week and 38 weeks of the year. There is no charge to parents for the ECCE programme. ECCE capitation of €69 is paid to providers in respect of each eligible child enrolled.

The National Childcare Scheme is a national scheme of financial support for parents towards the cost of early learning and childcare. The actual subsidy payment is based on the hours of attendance by eligible children, which are agreed between the parent and provider.

Core Funding is designed specifically as a supply-side funding stream, paid directly to providers, related to the costs of delivery. Core Funding is based on operating hours, number of places offered by services, and the age group of children for whom the places are offered, given the staffing requirements determined by the regulatory ratios for different care categories, as well as allocations for graduate leaders in services. Structuring Core Funding primarily based on capacity means that Partner Services have an allocation each year that does not fluctuate in line with children’s attendance.

The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) was introduced in 2016 to ensure that children with a disability can access and participate in the ECCE programme. AIM was designed and tailored to support ECCE-age children and as such AIM is directly linked with ECCE participation. The model achieves this by providing universal supports to pre-school settings, and targeted supports, which focus on the needs of the individual child, without requiring a diagnosis of disability. Amongst other things AIM can provide for advice and supports, equipment to children within the ECCE-age range and can also allow for an additional educator to support children with higher levels of need.

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 will include a suite of universal supports, child-targeted supports and setting-targeted supports to ensure every child and every early learning and childcare setting will benefit from a continuum of supports that reflects a continuum of need. Children to benefit from child-targeted supports will include children living in disadvantaged areas, Traveller children, Roma children, children availing of the National Childcare Scheme through a sponsor body, children experiencing homelessness and children in the International Protection system.