Community Employment Childcare Programme

In Budget 2014 it was announced that the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) Programme was being expanded from 1 January 2014 to include Community Employment (CE) participants.

In July 2014 this Programme was renamed the Community Employment Childcare (CEC) Programme and broadened to include children up to 13 years of age.

A CE applicant who needs childcare in order to take up a place on a CE scheme is eligible for a childcare place.

Note: Where a child of a CE participant is participating in the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) during the same time as the CE Programme (for example morning or afternoon), that child cannot transfer to a CE Childcare (CEC) place. However if a parent is participating on CE on an alternative time of day to the child’s ECCE programme, the parent can also avail of CE Childcare for the time of day they are participating on CE.

• the CE sponsor will tell you about the CE Childcare (CEC) programme and give you a list of childcare providers participating in the programme
• you should then contact a childcare provider in your area to book a CE childcare place. You can use your letter of offer of a CE place to do this
• if you are already on CE your sponsor will give you a letter stating this
• the childcare provider will accept your letter and offer you a place, if there are places available

Childcare places will be allocated to children up to 13 years of age.

Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

There will be part-time places available for CE participants with children up to 5 years and after-school places (CEAS) available for participants with children of school-going age.

The parent contribution is €15 per week. Places will be approved for 50 weeks in a 12 month period.

Places will also be approved for the summer holiday period (10 weeks) only.

Places will be open to existing participants as well as new entrants.

There is no provision for a participant to continue to access a CE childcare place if they are absent from CE for a prolonged period.

CE participants in receipt of the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) prior to starting on CE will be particularly welcome to take up a CE childcare place.

For further information:

• contact your local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Office
• drop in to your local Intreo Centre, Social Welfare Office or Citizens Information Centre

[document 44884 ]