Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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276. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there are any financial supports available for establishing an after-school service (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16390/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides a range of supports for anybody that wishes to set up an early learning and childcare service (which includes school-age childcare services). Any provider interested in establishing a service can get support from their local County Childcare Committee (CCC). Details of the CCCs can be found on: www.gov.ie/en/publication/52b71-support-for-parents-city-and-county-childcare-committees/.

The introduction of Core Funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €259 million of funding paid directly to services in year 1 of the scheme, of which €210.8 million was entirely new funding.?? Core Funding is a supply-side grant to early learning and childcare providers towards their operating costs. It is designed to deliver sustainability for providers through increased funding to the sector, paid on a consistent and equitable basis.

This funding, which increased by 11% (to €287 million) in year 2, has increased again by a further 15% in year 3 (to €331 million). It will rise again in year 4 of the scheme - September 2025-August 2024 - to approximately €390 million.

In order to increase provision, the Department of Education has also published Procedures on the use of School Buildings outside of School Hours. This document assists schools in considering applications for use of their facilities. To encourage the greater use of such facilities, the Department of Education has committed to provide schools with a guarantee that any income from after-school use of their facilities will not affect their State grants, capitation fees or any other form of departmental funding. Schools may establish such a service themselves, or may provide premises to a Tusla registered provider to deliver after-school care on the school premises. It is important to note that schools are run by their Board of Management and so the decision on whether or not to facilitate school aged childcare on the premises ultimately lies with the Board of Management.

Another important project that I have initiated 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.

Capital funding has been allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant investment in early learning and childcare. Some €89 million has been allocated to my Department between 2023 and 2026. The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme is being operated in 2025. Under the scheme, applicants must deliver additional full-time capacity for 1-3 year olds.