Parents
Childcare can be a costly expense for many families. Here you can access information about government subsidies from The Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) which may help to reduce your childcare bill. Find out more information on the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme, and Legacy Targeted Childcare Supports.
The National Childcare Scheme
The National Childcare Scheme provides subsidies to help parents meet the cost of quality Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare. It has replaced all previous targeted childcare support programmes with a single, streamlined and user friendly Scheme.
Under the National Childcare Scheme, subsidies are available for families with children aged between 24 weeks and 15 years who are attending any participating Tusla registered childcare services, including any Tusla registered childminder and school age childcare services.
There are two types of subsidies available under the National Childcare Scheme: a Universal subsidy and an Income Assessed subsidy.
- Universal subsidies are available to all families with children under 3 years, or families with children over 3 years who have not yet qualified for the free preschool (ECCE) programme. It is not means tested and provides €2.14 per hour for up to 45 hours per week off the cost of a Tusla registered childcare place.
- Income Assessed subsidies are available to families with children aged between 24 weeks and 15 years. They are means tested and will be calculated based on your individual circumstances. The subsidy rate will vary depending on your level of reckonable family income, your child’s age and their educational stage. It can be used towards the cost of a Tusla registered childcare place for up to a maximum of 45 hours per week. To apply for an Income Assessed subsidy, your reckonable family income has to be less than €60,000 per year. You can find out more information on this here.
There is National Childcare Scheme Parent Call Centre. Parents can call 01 906 8530 for information or any queries they have on the National Childcare Scheme. Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme is a universal support available to all families with children in the eligible age range, regardless of your family income. This is sometimes known as the free preschool years.
This programme allows your child to attend a registered preschool session for 3 hours per day, 5 days a week, for 38 weeks per year.
This is free at the point of service for parents. If your child attends a setting for part-time or full-time childcare then the subsidy of €64.50 will be discounted from your existing childcare bill per week.
CLICK HERE FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ECCE
To read more about the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme just click the button below:
Community Childcare Subvention Programme (CCSP)
The CCSP Saver Programme provides support for eligible parent/guardians on a low income to avail of reduced childcare costs at participating childcare services. The children who were registered for CCSP in the 2019/2020 programme year and retain registrations under CCSP Saver Programme are referred to as ‘Savers’.
No new registrations can be made under the CCSP Saver Programme for children who have not been previously registered on CCSP 2019/2020 programme year.
If a child ages out of the CCSP Saver Programme i.e. turns 15 years of age or choses to move to NCS the parent will no longer be eligible for reduced childcare costs for this child under this programme.
