All Childcare Providers encouraged to sign up
Waterford Fine Gael Senator John Cummins has welcomed the commencement of the Government’s ‘Together for Better’ funding model for Childcare which will begin to ease the burden of childcare costs for parents and support providers with the new employment regulation orders on staff pay which also come into effect today.
Senator Cummins is encouraging all Waterford childcare providers to sign up. “At the moment eighty-three of the ninety-seven eligible providers in Waterford have now signed contracts for Core Funding, committing to working in partnership with the State for the public good, and to an effective freeze on parental fees. 86% of Waterford providers is a good start but I hope in time we will see 100% of providers signed up in the time ahead.”
He added “This new Core Funding model provides certainty to parents as it ensures that their childcare fees will not increase beyond September 2021 levels. I know this will be hugely welcomed by families right across Waterford and it will ensure that additional supports in the National Childcare scheme will be fully felt by parents.
“Cutting the cost of Childcare is one of Fine Gael’s top priorities in Budget 2023 and I hope we can see positive progress on the universal childcare subsidy which is available to all families regardless of income. Last year, Fine Gael’s Policy Lab produced its Care of the Child Policy paper which called on Government to reduce the cost of childcare for parents. Core to the thinking of the Policy Lab is the involvement of as many people as possible in order to gather diverse and representative views. The Policy Lab met with parents, childcare professionals and childcare providers which all contributed to the outcomes within the policy papers which positively influenced today’s changes. It goes to show the value of an inclusive approach to policy making”.
Senator Cummins added “We know that we must invest more in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC). 221 million is being invested in the Core Funding model this year and Together for Better commits to increasing funding to €1 billion by 2028 to improve quality, affordability, accessibility and sustainability.
“This must be the first step in ensuring that we make childcare more affordable and accessible for parents,” Senator Cummins concluded
Comments