First 5: A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028 commits to increasing State funding in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) to approximately €1 billion by 2028. A key vehicle to ensure that such significant additional investment delivers for children, families and the State will be a new funding model. An Expert Group was established in 2019 to deliver recommendations on this new funding model.

On 7 December 2021, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman T.D., published the Expert Group’s report Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare (PDF), following acceptance of its recommendations by Government.

The Expert Group was independently chaired and included national and international experts in ELC and SAC systems, funding and quality; economics; and relevant policy experts from the Government Departments involved in implementing the new funding model.

During its work, the Expert Group engaged in an inclusive consultation and engagement process to take account of the voices of providers, the workforce, parents and other stakeholders within the sector. Research to inform the Group’s work was undertaken by a Research Partner, Frontier Economics. The outputs from these processes are available on the Publications page.

The Expert Group also drew on national and international evidence from a wide range of sources and bodies to inform its report and recommendations. Further information on the Expert Group and their work can be found on the Expert Group, Process and Meeting Documentation pages.

Download the report, Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare here

Frontier Economics was appointed as Research Partner to provide research support to inform the work of the Expert Group to develop a new Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare. Under the direction of the Expert Group, Frontier Economics produced a set of research papers.

These research papers aimed to provide a broad foundational base upon which international comparisons and learnings can be drawn that were of value for the development of the funding model in Ireland. The authors are solely responsible for the views, opinions, findings, conclusions and/or recommendations expressed, which are not attributable to the Department or the Expert Group.

The suite of Research Papers is as follows:

International Comparisons of Fees, Staff Wages and Public Investment

International Approaches to Funding ELC & SAC to Reduce Costs for Parents

Review of Working Conditions for Staff in Early Learning and Care

Mechanisms to Control Fees Charged to Parents for ELC and SAC

Approaches to Identifying Children or Settings in Need of Additional Support

Funding Models Addressing Early Childhood Disadvantage

ELC and SAC Funding Models which Support Provision Quality

Shared Delivery Models for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare

The Expert Group undertook a programme of stakeholder consultation and engagement.

Phase 1 of this consultation and engagement took place between August and December 2020, comprising a call for submissions, a parental poll, two webinars and focused discussions with providers, practitioners and parents. Reports from these consultations are published below.

Phase 2 took place in April – May 2021, involving a series of facilitated events that brought together different perspectives to engage deeply in the conversation about how the various issues of affordability, sustainability, quality and inclusion interact and how the new Funding Model can best support these objectives.

Phase 3 took place in July 2021, which allowed for further discussion and development of stakeholders’ ideas.

The outputs of the consultation were weighted and balanced by the Expert Group and considered alongside the evidence in order to inform the development of the new funding model.

The reports are as follows:

Rpt on Submissions on the New Funding Model for ELC & (SAC)

Report on New Funding Model Consultation with Providers and Practitioners

Report on New Funding Model Consultation with Parents

IPSOS MRBISurvey of Parents

Phase 2 Report Addressing Disadvantage

Phase 2 Report – Parental Affordability

Phase 2 RPT Partnership State and Services to Provide Sustainability & Accountability

Phase 2 Report – Staff Pay and Quality

Overview of Phase 2 and 3 of Stakeholder Engagement and Consultation