Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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375. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated full-year cost of funding 1,000 new public early childhood education and school aged care places per year, operating on a full-time basis and for 52 weeks per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45852/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My officials have prepared an estimated cost of funding for public early childhood education and school-aged care services under the following assumptions:

• Assuming each service delivers 60 places, 17 services will deliver 1,020 places
• ELC operating 45 hours/week, 52 weeks/year.
• SAC operating 45 hours/week, 14 weeks/year (out of term).
• SAC operating 20 hours/week, 38 weeks/year (in term).
• Each service has the following capacity profile:
  • 0-1 year old: 3 places & 1-2 years old: 5 places (2 staff required – 1 Graduate Lead Educator, 1 EY Educator)
  • 2-3 years old: 12 places (2 staff required – 1 EY Educator, 1 EY Lead Educator)
  • 3-6 years old: 16 places (all of which are full time places, no ECCE-only children) – (2 staff required, 1 EY Educator, 1 Graduate Manager)
  • SAC: 24 places (2 staff required – 1 SAC Coordinator, 1 SAC Practitioners)
  • One Deputy Manager working for 35 hours per week to provide cover as necessary, allow for administration etc.
• These services will be staffed as per regulatory ratios, with provision for salaries at hourly rates stipulated by the most recent Employment Regulation Orders. These are the legally-required minimum hourly rates of pay for staff at different grades. Hourly rates in excess of these minimums would clearly increase services’ operating costs.
• Staff pay rates are:
  • EY Lead Educator @ €14.70/hour
  • EY Graduate Lead Educator @ €16.28/hour
  • EY Educator @ €13.65/hour
  • Deputy Manager @ €16.49/hour
  • Graduate Manager @ €18.11/hour
  • SAC Coordinator @ €14.70/hour
  • SAC Practitioner @ €13.65/hour
• All rooms are fully staffed for the centre's opening duration.
• Assuming non-staff running costs, including premises costs are 32% of total costs and where 100% costs are determined by staffing costs (as per national averages in Independent Review of Costs of Independent Review of the Costs of Providing Quality Early Learning and Childcare in Ireland).

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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376. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated full-year cost of funding 1,000 new public early childhood education places per year, operating on a full-time basis and for 52 weeks per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45853/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My officials have prepared an estimated cost of funding for public early childhood education and care services under the following assumptions:

• Assuming each service will deliver 60 places, 17 services will provide 1,020 places.
• These services will be staffed as per regulatory ratios, with provision for salaries at hourly rates stipulated by the most recent Employment Regulation Orders. These are the legally-required minimum hourly rates of pay for staff at different grades. Hourly rates in excess of these minimums would clearly increase services’ operating costs.
• Each service has the following capacity profile:
  • 0-1 year old: 6 places (1 room, 2 staff required – 1 Early Years Educator @ €13.65, 1 Lead Educator @ €14.70)
  • 1-2 years old: 10 places (1 room, 2 staff required – 1 Early Years Educators @ €13.65, 1 Graduate Lead Educator @ €16.28)
  • 2-3 years old: 12 places (2 staff required, 1 Early Years Educator @ €13.65, 1 Lead Educator @ €14.70)
  • 3-6 years old: 32 places across 2 rooms (all of which are full time places, no ECCE-only children) – (4 staff required, 2 Early Years Educators @ €13.65, 1 Graduate Lead Educator @ €16.28, 1 (non-graduate) Manager @ €17.33)
  • One Deputy Manager working for 35 hours per week @ €16.49 to provide cover as necessary, allow for administration etc.
• Assuming each service operates from 8:30am-5:30pm (45 hours/week) and all rooms are fully staffed for that duration.
• Assuming non-staff running costs, including premises costs are 32% of total costs and where 100% costs are determined by staffing costs (as per national averages in Independent Review of Costs of Independent Review of the Costs of Providing Quality Early Learning and Childcare in Ireland).

• For 17 services providing 1,020 places the total annual running costs would be €11.5 million.