Early Childhood Care & Education Programme (ECCE)
The ECCE programme is a universal programme available to all children within the eligible age range. It provides children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school. The programme is provided for three hours per day, five days per week over 38 weeks per year and the programme year runs from September to June each year. From September 2018 the ECCE Scheme will be made available to all children over the age of 2 years 8 months.
Click here to link to the ECCE section of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) website.
Access and Inclusion Model (AIM)
AIM is a child-centred model, involving seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, based on the needs of the child and the service provider. For many children, the universal supports offered under the model will be sufficient. For others, one particular discrete support may be required to enable participation in pre-school, such as access to a piece of specialised equipment. For a small number, a suite of different services and supports may be necessary. In other words, the model is designed to be responsive to the needs of each individual child in the context of their pre-school setting. It will offer tailored, practical supports based on need and will not require a formal diagnosis of disability.
Please click here for more information on their website.
Community Childcare Subvention (CCS/P) Programme
The Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) Programme is a childcare programme targeted to support parents on a low income to avail of reduced childcare costs at participating community childcare services. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) pays for a portion of the childcare costs for eligible children, with the parent paying the remainder.
The CCS is only available through participating community not-for-profit childcare services. The service provider submits an application for CCS on behalf of the parent to the DCYA. CCS subvention is available for 52 weeks of the year. The CCS programme covers the academic year, starting in September and finishing in August. The child must be less than 15 years of age. A child will not be eligible if they are enrolled on any other DCYA childcare programme.
For further information about the CCS programme click here to go to the DCYA website.
Please see the following link to the More Affordable Childcare website which will indicate what subsidy you may be entitled to http://affordablechildcare.ie/am-i-eligible-for-assistance-with-my-childcare-costs/
Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) Programmes
The objective of the TEC Programmes is to support parents in eligible training courses and eligible categories of parents returning to work, by providing subsidised childcare places.
The TEC Programmes are:
Childcare Education and Training Support programme (CETS)
The CETS Programme formerly catered for FAS and VEC training course participants and now provides childcare on behalf of the Local Education and Training Boards and Secondary Schools.
After-School Child Care programme (ASCC)
The ASCC is administered on behalf of the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and provides afterschool care for primary school children for certain categories of working parents and parents on DSP employment programmes (not including Community Employment).
Community Employment Childcare programme (CEC)
The CEC is administered on behalf of the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and provides childcare for children of parents who are participating in Community Employment schemes.
Please click here for the TEC section of the DCYA website
Universal Childcare Scheme
If your child is aged between 6 months and 36 months* and is enrolled in Tusla-registered childcare, you are eligible for a non means-tested universal childcare subsidy of up to €20 per week. That amounts to up to €1,040 per year.
*Your child may continue to receive the universal subsidy until they commence their ECCE (free preschool year). In some cases, this will be slightly older than 36 months.
There is a new website specifically for this scheme called http://affordablechildcare.ie/
