The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr. Katherine Zappone T.D., today (Monday, 10^th June 2019) announced a total of €6.25m in Capital funding to be awarded to providers of Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare this summer.
The funding will contribute towards the creation of new places for 0-3 year olds, new school age childcare places, and essential fire safety improvements for community-owned services.
The approved Early Learning and School Age Capital funding for 2019 will be made available to childcare centres, crèches and other childcare facilities across three strands, as follows:

Ø        Strand A (Early Learning and Care): New places for 0-3 year olds
·        €3.7m total approved (€50k max. grant)
·        87 applications approved for funding
·        1,321 new 0-3 places to be created: 205 0-1 places, 1,116 1-3 places

Ø        Strand B (Early Learning and Care): Fire safety improvements (community only)
·        €0.3m total approved (€15k max. grant)
·        33 applications approved for funding

Ø        Strand C (School Age): New places for school age children
·        €2.2m total approved (€20k max. grant)
·        118 applications approved for funding
·        2,308 new school age places to be created.

The capital funding has been awarded following the completion of a very competitive application and appraisal process.
Pobal have now begun the process of notifying all applicants of the outcomes of the Capital decisions. A list of these successful applications is included below.

Announcing this new funding, the Minister said:

“Quality accessible affordable childcare requires investment. The funding being announced today will translate into over 3,600 new and extra spaces for children up to the age of 15. It is another step as we seek to address the decades of under-investment and neglect by successive governments. Overall Government investment in early learning and care has jumped 117% since 2015.”

 

LIST OF SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS:

EARLY YEARS CHILDCARE CAPITAL 2019 – STRAND A

EARLY YEARS CHILDCARE CAPITAL 2019 – STRAND B

SCHOOL AGE CHILDCARE CAPITAL 2019 – STRAND C

 

The post Minister Zappone confirms 3,600 New Childcare Places to be created in €6.25m investment appeared first on Pobal.