Together for Better is the new funding model for Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare.

Together for Better brings together three major elements, the Early Childhood Care and Education programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme and Core Funding. It implements a series of recommendations in the Expert Group report Partnership for the Public Good.

9 out of 10 Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare providers – over 4,100 services – have become Partner Services under Core Funding, committing to working in partnership with the State for the public good, and to a freeze on parental fees.

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Core Funding is a funding stream for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services introduced in Budget 2022 and informed by the work of the Expert Group to develop a new funding model for ELC and SAC, outlined in Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare.

Core Funding is a payment to providers designed to meet the combined objectives of:

• Improved quality through better pay and conditions for the workforce;
• Supporting the establishment of an Employment Regulation Order through the Joint Labour Committee;
• Supporting the employment of graduate staff;
• Improved affordability for parents by ensuring that fees do not increase; and
• Improved sustainability and stability for services. 

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The National Childcare Scheme (legally known as the Affordable Childcare Scheme) is a national scheme of financial support for parents towards the cost of their childcare. The Scheme includes two types of subsidies towards the cost of quality childcare:

1. a universal subsidy is payable for children between the ages of 24 weeks and 36 months who are using childcare services with an approved childcare service provider. It is also payable for a child who is older than 36 months but does not yet qualify for the Early Childhood Care and Education programme. The universal subsidy is not means-tested and is available to all qualifying families of any income level. The universal subsidy will be made available to all families with children up to the age of 15 years from September 2022.

2. an income-related subsidy is payable for children from 24 weeks to 15 years of age who are using childcare services with an approved childcare service provider. The level of subsidy is determined by the family’s reckonable income (i.e. gross income minus tax and other deductibles and minus any applicable multiple child discount- see chapter 4). The income-related subsidy is payable for qualifying families where the family’s annual reckonable income is up to a maximum of €60,000.

A person can apply for the subsidy online at www.ncs.gov.ie or by post. Where they qualify, they will be provided with a unique code, called a CHICK (Childcare Identifier Code Key) which they can take to any registered childcare service provider participating in the Scheme. Once the parent and the provider have agreed the hours of childcare required, the provider will register the code on the Scheme’s online system in order to redeem the subsidy. As part of redeeming the subsidy, the provider will enter the hours of childcare to be subsidised. The parent will be asked to confirm these hours and the subsidy can then be directly paid to the provider on the parent’s behalf. No payment will be made until parental approval is confirmed.

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The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme is a universal free programme available to all children within the eligible age range. It provides children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school. The ECCE Programme is provided for 3 hours per day, 5 days per week over 38 weeks per programme year and the programme year runs from August to June. A child must have turned 2 years and 8 months on or before 31st August 2024, and not be older than 5 years and 6 months on or before 30th June 2025, to be eligible for the 2024/2025 programme year. The standard weekly ECCE capitation is €69.00 for the 2024/2025 ECCE programme year. Where a child is attending a part-time or full-time service and availing of additional childcare hours the approved provider must reduce the fee paid by the parent/guardian by a minimum of €64.50.

Children enrolled in the ECCE Programme may also avail of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). While the NCS and ECCE are two separate programmes/schemes, they are intended to work together. This means that parents/guardians can avail of NCS subsidised hours for the time spent outside of the ECCE Programme. If a provider has contracted to offer both the NCS and ECCE, parents/guardians should be able to use both programmes/schemes once the eligibility requirements are met.

Any queries in relation to the ECCE Programme and the rules of the programme should be directed to the local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC). Approved providers can raise a service request through the EY HIVE at https://earlyyearshive.ncs.gov.ie/ . For assistance in administering the rules of the programmes, payments queries, or any technical issues with the EY HIVE, approved providers can contact the Early Year Providers Centre on eypc@pobal.ie or 01 511 7222.

Note: Information in the DCEDIY Rules for the ECCE Programme are subject to change. Please check the EY HIVE regularly for updates.

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Please click on the button below for the ‘providers’ section on the AIM website.

The Better Start, Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower service providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can fully participate in the ECCE programme and reap the benefits of quality early years care and education.

AIM is a child-centred model, involving seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, based on the needs of the child and the service provider. For many children, the universal supports offered under the model will be sufficient.  For others, one particular discrete support may be required to enable participation in pre-school, such as access to a piece of specialised equipment.  For a small number, a suite of different services and supports may be necessary.  In other words, the model is designed to be responsive to the needs of each individual child in the context of their pre-school setting.  It will offer tailored, practical supports based on need and will not require a formal diagnosis of disability. On the AIM website, parents and pre-school providers can access up to date information on the AIM programme, the supports offered and how to apply.

www.aim.gov.ie

Information video on AIM

https://www.betterstart.ie/access-and-inclusion-model/

Please contact our office if you have any further questions or the Early Years Specialist Service (Access and Inclusion) are available to be contacted and can be contacted on 01 5117222.

The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has announced a new funding model aimed at increasing meaningful participation for children experiencing disadvantages. The Equal Start funding model has a suite of universal supports as well as targeted supports for the most disadvantaged groups.

Together we are working towards diverse and inclusive Early Learning opportunities.

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