Childcare Supports could reach €7,500 per year for some children from September

Childcare Supports could reach €7,500 per year for some children from September

Up to 70,000 children will have extra supports, which could result in childcare benefits of up to €7,500, when changes in this year’s budget come into force at the start of the pre-school year.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone made the announcement in the Dail yesterday – while she also confirmed that those families who need the supports the most will benefit the most.

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Speaking in the Dail Minister Zappone added: “Deputies we must get the message out to parents that it is time to check out the radical new changes starting in September.

“Parents must be encouraged to visit www.affordablechildcare.ie so that up to 70,000 children eligible for supports will benefit.

“In addition to the website we have posted out information packs to over 4,000 childcare providers and my officials have been on the road holding special information events – each booked to capacity.

“We are enhancing existing targeted childcare supports by as much as 50%.

“There will be better access to subsidies for providers – with the traditional Community Childcare Scheme (CCS) being extended to both community and private providers.

“In order to encourage as many childcare services as possible to provide the schemes to families in their area, I have secured an extra €3.5m for providers for non-contact time – this is on top of the €14.5m secured in Budget 2017.

“Some families will qualify for as much as €145 per week, per child, in childcare subsidies, totalling approximately €7,500 per child, per year (Please also see case studies below).

“The first big step is about to be taken to change our childcare system from being one of the most expensive in the world to one of the best – once we take that step there will be no going back.”

The Department for Children and Youth Affiars have also compiled case studies which offer examples of different ci5rcumstances within families and how payments would work.

Case Studies:

A working family in receipt of Family Income Supplement and with a Medical Card, who currently benefit from a full-time Community Childcare Scheme (CCS) childcare subsidy of €95 per week, will from September benefit from a subsidy of €145 per week. This represents an increase in childcare subsidy of up to €2600 per child, per annum, or, for families who have not received the subsidy before, an additional subsidy towards childcare costs of up to €7,540 per child.

A family in receipt of One Parent Family Payment, with a Medical Card, working part-time, who currently benefit from a part-time CCS childcare subsidy of €47.50 per week, will from September benefit from a subsidy of €80 per week. This represents an annual increase of  up to €1,690 per child, or for single parents who have not benefitted from this subsidy in the past, an additional subsidy towards childcare costs of up to €4,160  per child.

A working family with a Medical Card, who currently benefit from a full-time CCS childcare subsidy of €50 per week, will from September benefit from a subsidy of €70 per week. This represents an annual increase in saving of up to €1040 on childcare costs, or, for families who have never accessed this before, an additional subsidy of up to €3,640 per child per annum.

A family in which both parents earn the average wage, with a child in childcare full-time, currently receives no childcare subsidy. From September, the family will benefit from a subsidy of €20 per week, making a total of €1,040 childcare subsidy over the course of a year.

A working family with a parental GP Visit Card is eligible to a full-time CCS childcare subsidy of €50 per week. While this amount will not change in September, childcare subsidies are only available where childcare providers choose to sign a contract with Department of Children and Youth Affairs to provide the subsidy. We anticipate a significant increase in September in the number of childcare providers taking part in the scheme. As a result, many families with GP Visit Cards will be able to access this CCS subsidy for the first time.

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