Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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784. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current demand for early childhood care and education scheme in Cork county; how any deficits in supply are being identified and resolved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7853/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) is a free, universal two-year preschool programme available to all children within the eligible age range prior to commencing primary school and is funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth (DCEDIY).

There are 8,309 children registered for the ECCE programme in Cork County for the 2024/25 programme year to date and 4,192 in Cork City. Across all of county Cork, a total of 12,463 individual children have registered in the current programme year. Children moving between services during the programme year will affect the sum total of registrations.

The uptake rate for the programme is very high; in excess of 96% nationally. This suggests that, in general, parents are able to find places for their children.

Across the sector as a whole, improving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government. Demand for early learning and childcare beyond sessional pre-school provision is highly elastic and shaped very substantially by families' individual composition, circumstances, and preferences; employment patterns and income; and the price and availability of services.

A forward planning model is in development which will be central to my Department's plans to achieve the policy goals set out in the Programme for Government to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early childhood education and care system, with State-led facilities adding capacity.

My Department continues to support the ongoing development and resourcing of Core Funding which has given rise to a significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced. Core Funding, which is in its third programme year, funds services based on the number of places available, whether or not they are filled.

This provides stability to services, and reduces the risk associated with opening a new service or expanding an already existing service. For the current programme year, the allocation for Core Funding will allow for almost a 6% increase in capacity. Additional funding was secured in Budget 2025 to facilitate a further 3.5% increase from September 2025, in the fourth programme year.

The Government is also supporting the expansion of capacity through capital funding. The Building Blocks Extension Scheme was launched on the 4th of November 2024. Applications for this scheme have now closed and an appraisal process has begun. The primary focus of the Extension Scheme is to increase capacity in the 1–3-year-old, pre–Early Childhood Care and Education, age range for full day care.

Appraisal of applications for this scheme will consider the supply and demand in the area around the proposed projects and seeks to prioritise funding for areas with the biggest supply/demand mismatch. €25m will be made available this year to deliver additional capacity under the Scheme and I expect to announce the outcome of the application process in March.

My Department also funds 30 City/County Childcare Committees, which provide support and assist families and early learning and childcare providers. The network of 30 City/County Childcare Committees across the country are in a position to assist in identifying vacant places in services for children and families who need them and engage proactively with services to explore possibilities for expansion among services, particularly where there is unmet need. Parents experiencing difficulty in relation to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee for assistance.