“The vast majority of parents will benefit from the operation of a fee freeze”

Parents and guardians in Ireland are due to benefit from a fee freeze which has been accepted by most childcare providers thanks to the incoming Transition Fund.

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, announced the news today and said that so far, 92% of Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) providers have agreed to operate the freeze on parental fees.

 

The Transition Fund will be paid to all participating providers to ensure no increase in parental fees from September 2021 rates and will be effective between 2 May and 31 August 2022.

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According to a government statement released today: “The Fund is designed to support the stability and sustainability of services in the interim period between the end of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme and ahead of the introduction of the new Core Funding Scheme in September 2022.

“This stability of these fees ensures that parents feel the benefit of affordability across the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), and the universal Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Pre-school Programme.”

Speaking on Wednesday, the Minister said: “The vast majority of parents will benefit from the operation of a fee freeze.

“Parents should feel confident and reassured knowing that in services participating in the Transition Fund, their ELC and SAC fees will not increase.

“This is the beginning of fee management that will now make it possible for substantial future investment to reduce parental fees over time.