New Govt Plan Announced For Reduced Childcare Costs

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone and Minister for Social Protection, Leo Varadkar, have announced the government has agreed to make childcare more affordable with the addition of €19 million of childcare funding agreed in Budget 2017.

Making the announcement Minister Zappone said: "Today we agreed the next step towards affordable, accessible quality childcare. The Government has approved a range of financial measures that will see more than 70,000 families benefit from reduced childcare costs from September.

"To ensure that parents and childcare providers understand these childcare supports and how to access them, my colleagues in Cabinet also approved a public information campaign starting next month.

"Moving from one of the most expensive childcare systems in the world to the best is ambitious. It is a journey we will take one step at a time. Today we are confirming that parents of 70,000 children will start feeling the benefit in their pockets from September. This is a significant step forward."

Children aged from 6 months through to 15 years will benefit with the highest levels of supports aimed at those families with the lowest incomes.

Minister for Social Protection, Leo Varadkar, added: "A lack of access to affordable childcare is one of the main barriers to employment and further education for many parents. The action the Government is now taking builds on progress made already like the two years of free pre-school, extended maternity leave and the introduction of paternity leave with universal subsides for all children under 3 and targeted additional support for low and middle income families. It's a major step forward and will open up opportunities for more parents to enter the workforce, secure new qualifications and improve living standards for themselves and their families."

The public information campaign will provide detailed information, through a variety of sources, to ensure everyone who needs to find out more will be able to so.

It will be targeted at low-income families and those with children under three years old. It will also target more than 3,000 childcare providers through the country.

(MH/CD)