Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2015. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of the financial hardship experienced by Early Years Educators during the summer period, and if she will outline any measures being considered to support these workers during period of income loss; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47177/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2016. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if consideration will be given to establishing a more stable income support mechanism for Early Years Educators during seasonal employment gaps; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47179/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2015 and 2016 together.

The level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners does not reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy.

However, while Government is the primary funder of the sector, the State is not an employer of staff and neither I, nor my Department, set pay or working conditions.

Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare services are private businesses and their policies on operating hours and staffing are a matter for the service provider. As such, the decision to close a service during holiday periods, e.g. over the summer, lies with the service provider.

The Joint Labour Committee process is the mechanism by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates and conditions, which are set down in law through Employment Regulation Orders.

Outcomes from the Joint Labour Committee process are supported by Government through Core Funding, which has seen its allocation increase from €259 million in year 1 to €350 million for the coming year 2025/2026. An additional €45 million has been ring-fenced to support employers meet the costs of further increases to the minimum rates of pay. This allocation is conditional on updated Employment Regulation Orders.

Social welfare entitlements fall outside the remit of my Department and are a matter for my colleagues in the Department of Social Protection. However, I understand that the Department of Social Protection operate a system where those who are employed across the various educational sectors are supported in making their application to allow a for a more efficient processing of their claim when a period of unemployment arises.

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2017. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the scope of the public consultation for the proposed detailed action plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early years childhood education and care system with State-led facilities; if the provision of a publicly funded and publicly managed early years and school age care system will be included; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47285/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government outlines the commitment to “undertake a broad consultation and publish a detailed Action Plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early childhood education and care system with State-led facilities adding capacity”.

Work is under way to develop this Action Plan which will be informed by stakeholder consultation. Officials in my Department are at an advanced stage of the planning phase for this work, including determining the scope of the Action Plan, in the context of existing Plans (such as Nurturing Skills the Workforce Plan Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare 2022-2028, the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028, and the First 5 Implementation Plan 2023-2025) and new Plans in development (such as the Action Plan for Administrative and Regulatory Simplification, the National Plan to Support Irish Language Provision in Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, and the First 5 Implementation Plan 2026-2028) as well as the ongoing work to review the legislative and regulatory framework for school-age childcare.

Officials are also examining how recent consultations with stakeholders in the sector can inform the design of the broad consultation process that is committed to in the Programme for Government, having regard to ensuring the voices of children and families, educators and practitioners, providers and other stakeholders within the sector are taken into account.

While work on developing the Action Plan is ongoing, we are already taking initial steps to deliver on key commitments in the Programme for Government. In relation to access, a Forward Planning and Delivery Unit has been established within my Department.

The Programme for Government commits to providing capital investment to build or purchase state-owned childcare facilities, to create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists. State ownership of facilities is a very substantial and significant development and offers the potential to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with estimated demand.

Early scoping work has been carried out to explore options to introduce a segment of state-led provision. Detailed policy development and design is ongoing in order to progress to implementation stage, having regard to the wider emerging policy context as set out in the Programme for Government, including in relation to affordability commitments.

Allocation of capital investment to build or purchase state-owned early learning and childcare facilities is being considered within the context of the revised National Development Plan.

The Together for Better funding model aims to transform the ELC and SAC sector by supporting quality-driven pay and conditions for practitioners, greater financial stability for providers, improved affordability for parents, and new resources to promote and provide more socially inclusive services.

Launched in September 2022, Together for Better incorporates five elements of State funding operated by the Department: the National Childcare Scheme; the Early Childhood Care and Education programme; the Access and Inclusion Model; Equal Start; and Core Funding.

Core Funding is a side-supply grant to early learning and childcare providers towards their operating costs. It is designed to support quality (including improved staff pay), sustainability, and enhanced public management, with associated conditions in relation to fee control and cost transparency, incorporating funding for administration and to support the employment of graduate staff.

Greater public management of the sector introduced through the Core Funding scheme includes conditions in relation to fees, quality improvements in services, and transparency in relation to financial and operational matters. Some of the key conditions in Core Funding include:

• Participating in the Department’s yearly sector profile survey.
• Adherence to the Core Funding fee management system including:
• Core Funding Fee Rules
• Fee freeze for majority of services
• Controlled fee increases for services charging very low fees
• Maximum fee caps for services charging very high fees
• Returning deposits to parents
• Implementing practice frameworks.
• Developing, implementing and reporting on a quality and inclusive practice plan.
• Providing transparent and validated financial reports.
• Issuing a Parent Statement to all parents using the service outlining what they can expect.
• Offering the NCS and/or the ECCE programme to all eligible children.
• Regular reporting on the staff hours underpinning staffed capacity and Graduate Manager and Lead Educator Premiums.