Parents of under-threes to get €20 a week with payment set to start on Friday but estimated 9,000 parents will be left without state subsidy
For many parents it may be a misnomer, but the Govenment’s new affordable childcare strategy, a pillar of last October’s budget, is finally stepping into gear.
The scheme, which starts to pay out on September 1st, and every two weeks thereafter, promised much more than it is set to deliver- at least as of yet – as a key element of the strategy, means-tested payments, have yet to come into play.
Nonetheless, it will help parents of under-threes make a dent in the significant burden of childcare costs, although “affordable” it still isn’t.
It is expected that parents of up to 70,000 children will benefit from the scheme in the coming months, and it is the first time that a universal, non-means tested childcare subsidy has been introduced in Ireland, something which should be welcomed.
Moreover, Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone is expected to look for an increase for the scheme in this year’s Budget, thereby either enhancing the benefits on offer or broadening its applicability, while the means -tested side of the scheme is expected to be rolled out in the new year.
So for now then, who will get it – and how much will they get?
What is it again?
Introduced in last October’s Budget, the Affordable Childcare Scheme is a new national scheme of financial support for parents towards the cost of their childcare. It’s an effort to cut the cost of childcare and bring Ireland into line with other European countries, where state sponsored schemes keep childcare costs in check. In Paris, France, for example, a family earning € 30,000 a year will pay € 264 a month, dropping to € 176 per child if you have three. The most you will pay is €513 a month, or €342 per child if you have three. In Berlin, Germany, childcare costs are also low, with parents entering the scale at € 22,499, paying just €25 a month for full-time childcare. The maximum amount a parent will pay is € 405 a month.
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