Update: Childcare Plans

 Alot of parents and childcare providers have been in touch in relation to childcare plans.
The Department of children released details of measures to support both providers and parents last night.

⭕️Parents are not required to pay childcare fees during this Covid crisis, but will maintain their childcare places.

The measures are as follows:

1. Revenue will reimburse childcare employers by 70% of their pre-Covid-19 staff costs.

2. In addition, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs will reimburse childcare employers by 30% of their pre-Covid-19 staff costs.

3. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs will pay a retention top-up so that all staff earn a minimum of €350 per week net.

4. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs will fund Childcare Providers with 15% of staff costs during the closure period to assist with their ongoing costs.

These measures will apply for up to 12 weeks.

Childcare Providers will be required to sign a new Covid-19 Emergency Agreement. This will require providers to agree to a number of conditions that will include:

• Not charging parents for childcare fees from this month onwards.

• Assure parents that their childrens’ places are as secure as they can be post Covid-19.

• Agree to ensure staff are paid at pre-Covid-19 levels, plus, where they earned less than €350 per week, the balance up to €350 (which is the February 2020 wage or €350, whichever is the greater).

• Take active steps to reinstate their staff that have already been laid off on the same terms as above (with staff reinstated on pre-Covid terms and conditions).

• Staff would use this time for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and other professional activities. Employers will use this time to catch up on administrative tasks and familiarise themselves further with the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and any other resources, including new resources which will be developed in the coming weeks.

• Give consent to Revenue to provide evidence of staff costs to allow the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to process payments to providers.

State income is already in place for Childcare Providers until the end of this week.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs will roll out these measures as quickly as possible.

I have also contacted the Department of Children & Youth Affairs seeking an urgent update regarding whether the ECCE payment will be paid to Childcare providers.

#covid19