Minister O’Gorman announces details of the new €221 million funding stream for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare providers
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman has today (07 March 2022) announced the rates and values for the new Core Funding Scheme and launched an online tool that will enable Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) providers to estimate the potential value of this new €221 million Core Funding Scheme for their service.
The development of Core Funding is a significant milestone on the journey towards a new funding model. It aims to transform of the sector and establish a new type of partnership between providers and the State that reflects the importance of ELC and SAC for the public good.
Core Funding is designed to meet the combined objectives of:
Giving further detail on Core Funding and the new online tool, the Minister stated:
“I am delighted to be announcing the specific rates of Core Funding which will make clear the value of this investment to ELC and SAC service providers. We are determined to reform the Early Learning and School-Age Childcare sector so that it works for everyone – staff, parents, and providers and most importantly, children. Today’s announcement is an important step in that process.
“Core Funding will support services by scaling the level of funding in line with the capacity of services and degree-level qualifications of those working in the service. The online tool or Ready Reckoner that I am launching today will allow ELC and SAC providers to see the potential impact of this funding on their individual service.”
Core Funding builds on the objectives set out in the First 5 strategy, progresses the recommendations in the recently-published report of the Expert Group to develop a new funding model, Partnership for the Public Good, and enables the realisation of goals articulated in Nurturing Skills the workforce plan for the sector.
The Core Funding value for an individual service will be calculated based on the following information:
The Core Funding Ready Reckoner online tool is accessible to all and is designed to give an idea of what services can expect to receive based on their characteristics and to allow different scenarios of provision to be tested.
Further information is available here and support, guidance and training is available through City and County Childcare Committees.
ENDS
• The key dates in preparation for Core Funding becoming operational for the 2022/2023 programme year are:
> Today: The online tool (Ready Reckoner) becomes available to provide approximate estimates of potential Core Funding values for individual services
> Stage 1 of the application process opens in April:
-Begins with the Sector Profile and Income & Costs Survey, which is a pre-requisite for application for Core Funding
> Stage 2 of the application process opens in June:
-Providers define their service’s profile and their capacity in detail in an online form
-Core Funding value is communicated to providers (subject to final verifications and confirmations)
-The provider contract will be published so applicants can review what they will later be asked to sign
> Stage 3 of the application process opens in August:
-Individual contracts will be made available to applicants for signature
-End August: payments to providers commence. Payments will be made monthly in advance throughout the programme year.
Main Base Rate
-Number of child places in an age group multiplied by Value that applies to age group (see table below) multiplied by Hours of operation per week multiplied by Weeks open per year
Plus
Graduate Lead Educator Premium (if applicable) (for ELC only)
-Number of rooms/sessions led by a graduate multiplied by Hours per week multiplied by Weeks open per year multiplied by Graduate Lead Educator premium rate
-Maximum one Graduate Lead Educator premium per ELC room
Plus
Graduate Manager Premium (if applicable) (for ELC or Combined ELC and SAC only)
-Hours of operation per week multiplied by Weeks per year the service operates multiplied by Graduate Manager premium rate
-Maximum one Graduate Manager premium per service
= Core Funding amount
Age of child | Value of Core Funding per place per hour |
Full-time (5+ hours per day) and Part-time (3.5 hours – 5 hours per day) | |
0-1 year of age | €1.66 |
1-2 years of age | €1.07 |
2-3 years of age | €0.92 |
3-6 years of age | €0.68 |
Sessional (up to 3.5 hours per day) | |
0-1 year of age | €1.66 |
1-2.5 years of age | €1.07 |
2.5-6 years of age | €0.65 |
School-age | |
Any age | €0.55 |
Graduate premium rates per hour | |
Graduate Lead Educators in ELC | €4.44 |
Graduate Managers in ELC or combined ELC and SAC | €4.44 |
▫ Nine 0-1 places in a room with a Graduate Lead Educator
▫ Ten 1-2 places in a room with a Graduate Lead Educator
▫ Twelve 2-3 places in a room with a Graduate Lead Educator
▫ 32 full-time 3-6 ELC places in 2 rooms with Graduate Lead Educators
▫ Manager is also an ELC graduate
▫ (11 staff plus out-of-ratio manager)
€191,430 in Core Funding
▫ Five 1-2 places
▫ Six 2-3 places in a room with a Graduate Lead Educator
▫ 22 full-time 3-6 ELC places in a room with a Graduate Lead Educator
(4 staff, 2 are graduates)
€69,420 in Core Funding
(2 staff)
€8,151 in Core Funding
(3 staff)
€18,414 in Core Funding
Important note: In all the examples above, the other funding streams such as ECCE (standard capitation), NCS, AIM, CCSP and TEC as well as parents fees all continue to be available to services in addition to the Core Funding allocation. However, Programme Support Payments and ECCE Higher Capitation are no longer available as they are incorporated into Core Funding.