Tuesday, 15th July 2014
- €273,649 Early Years Capital Funding for 20 community childcare facilities in Cork.
- €2.5 million in capital funding has been allocated nationally.
Community childcare facilities provide vital supports and services for families and on-going capital funding is essential to ensuring that they are provided in appropriate and safe facilities. I am delighted that childcare facilities in Blackrock, Carrigaline, Mahon and Turners Cross will benefit from this funding.
Beginnings Creche at Mahon family Resource Centre will receive €13,429 and Scoil Ursula Preschool, Blackrock will get €4,880. In Carrigaline An Naíonra Charraig Uí Leighin will receive €5,516 and Turner’s Cross Community Playgroup will get €7,152. These grants will allow each facility to carry our essential repairs, maintenance or refurbishment. This will provide a welcome improvement to the facilities, ultimately benefitting the children and families that use the important services delivered at community facilities.
Providing access to community facilities must be central to reducing the cost of childcare and increasing availability of spaces. There are a number of very significant initiatives already underway to help with this and to deliver on the Early Years Quality Agenda. Government already provides annual funding of €260 million to support a number of targeted child care support programmes that assist parents in accessing quality and affordable child care. The funding announced today, together with these initiatives, are signs of much needed progress in the enabling families to access childcare.