A total of 142 services in Kerry have signed up to year three of the Core Funding scheme to date, committing to delivering early learning and childcare for the public good.
This represents 94 per cent of all services in Kerry.
The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, said the latest uptake rate to the scheme is in line with uptake rates in previous years and providers can sign up to the scheme at any time over the course of the programme year.
This year, Core Funding will continue to support the delivery of affordable, accessible, high quality and sustainable services.
All providers who have applied will benefit from increased payments under the scheme, which has an overall allocation of €331 million.
In return providers in receipt of funding must agree to fee management rules underpinning the scheme.
In the first and second year of Core Funding, providers agreed to maintain their fees at September 2021 levels.
This fee freeze will remain in place for the majority of providers in year three of the scheme, though there are two exceptions:
- Services whose fees have been frozen at a level that may not be sufficient to sustain their business have the opportunity to apply for a fee increase.
- A cap on fees is in place for services joining Core Funding for the first time. A fee cap will be extended to all services from September 2025.
Providers in receipt of Core Funding must offer the Early Childhood Care and Education programme and the National Childcare to all children and their families, where appropriate.
Providers must also implement the curriculum and quality frameworks and develop and implement a quality plan.
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