Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

2008. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a list of early years and school age childcare services that have withdrawn from the core funding scheme; the number and percentage of services that have signed up to the scheme to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47083/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The introduction of Core Funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €259m of funding paid directly to services in year 1 of the scheme, of which €210.8m was entirely new funding. The fourth year of the scheme began on 1 September 2025, with an annual allocation of over €390 million.

95% of eligible providers signed up to Core Funding in its first year, 2022/2023, with a maximum of 4,248 services participating at any one time in this year.

94% of eligible providers signed up to Core Funding in its second year, 2023/2024, with a maximum of 4,373 services participating at any one time.

92% of eligible providers signed up to Core Funding in its third year, 2024/2025, with a maximum of 4,446 services participating at any one time.

As of 4 September 2025, 83% of eligible providers had signed up to the fourth year of Core Funding, 2025/2026, or 4,070 services. This is on par with the same point in previous years, and in fact there are a greater number of services contracted this year than at the same point in previous years. Every year there are a number of services who sign up to Core Funding in the weeks following the commencement of the programme year. I am encouraged by the high engagement with the application process to date and the similarities to trends in uptake in the previous two years.

In the interest of clarity, transparency and consistent reporting, I have defined a service that left Core Funding as any service that had a gap between contracts for Core Funding of 4 or more weeks. There are a number of reasons that a service might fall into this definition, for example a service could have withdrawn from the scheme, been removed from the scheme for breach or rules, or experienced a delay in re-contracting following a change of circumstance application or between programme years. Many services have left and later re-joined the scheme. There may be a small number of services who left the scheme and subsequently closed at a later date and are not captured in the figures below.

As of 5 August 2025, there were 4,807 services listed as being open on the Early Years Platform, of which 141 (3%) had left Core Funding at one point over the past 3 years and continue to operate outside of this scheme. A further 336 services (7%) had left Core Funding at one point over the past 3 years but later rejoined and are currently signed up to the third year of the scheme. The overwhelming majority of services, 4,056 or 84%, have continued to participate in Core Funding from the date on which they first signed up for the scheme.

As applications continue to be submitted in large numbers, in line with patterns observed in previous years, it is not yet possible to make an accurate assessment regarding whether further services have made the decision to no longer participate in Core Funding for the fourth year.

My Department does not publish a list of services that have left Core Funding. However, a list of all Core Funding Partner Services is updated regularly on the website, under How to Find a Partner Service. The NCS childcare service search can also be used to identify if a service is a Core Funding Partner Service.

While my Department cannot mandate providers to participate in schemes, every effort has been made to carefully design Core Funding to meet the policy objectives including to achieve high levels of participation by providers.

It is a matter for providers to decide whether they wish to withdraw from the Core Funding scheme, the significant financial supports it provides to providers and the certainty it provides to parents through the associated fee freeze. However, I am confident that given the level of investment and associated supports, services should not need to take this step.

Participation in Core Funding is optional, but it remains open to all registered providers subject to their agreement to the terms and conditions of the funding. It is a matter for providers to decide whether they wish to sign up to Core Funding, the significant financial supports it offers to providers and the certainty it gives to parents through the associated fee management measures.

Additionally, my Department 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 can 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.