New Affordable Childcare Scheme

DCYA has just published a Policy Paper and an Online Survey seeking your views about the new Affordable Childcare Scheme, which was announced by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone TD as part of Budget 2017.  

Here’s a link to the Press Release from the Department.  
 
You can find the Policy Paper here.  It’s 85 pages long, plus appendices, but has a handy nine page summary.  

The survey itself is here. You have four weeks to respond: the closing date is Friday 25th November. 
 
The survey contains four sections: one for parents, one for childcare providers, and two for everybody. We encourage you to answer any sections that are relevant to you and any questions on which you have a view. The survey is specific to the new targeted childcare subsidies and you may have parents in your service that would be interested in completing it too.
 
NB: We would also like to hear directly from you what you think about the new scheme so we can incorporate your views into our own response to DCYA. We are already looking at DCYA’s calculations for the cost of providing childcare to the various age cohorts of children against our Doing the Sum: The Real Cost of Providing Childcare report. Do the DCYA figures ring true for you in your service?
 
Please email any comments, questions or observations on the new scheme to our Policy Officer Amy McArdle amcardle@earlychildhoodireland.ie