Eligibility Criteria

Community and privately owned Early Learning and Childcare Services and School Aged Childcare, who offer Full Time, Part Time or Sessional childcare registered with Tusla in the Republic of Ireland are eligible to apply for Core Funding.

Please note: A pre-School Service in a Drop-in Centre and SAC services that operate Drop-in care only, are not eligible for Core Funding.

Core Funding Partner Services must meet the below criteria.

• Completed their Annual Early Years Sector Profile (AEYSP)
• Registered with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency
• Contracted with DCDE to deliver ECCE and/or NCS, as appropriate:
• A service offering sessional care to the ECCE-eligible age range must offer ECCE
• A service offering care to any other age ranges must offer NCS
• A service offering care to both must offer both programmes
• A service must agree to follow the Core Funding conditions outlined in the Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement.

Core Funding will continue to be available to childminders who, in 2024, were registered with Tusla under the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 and the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Registration of School Age Services) Regulations 2018.

These childminders will continue to be eligible for Core Funding if they have since been re-registered under the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Childminding Services) 2024. Given that childminders have a fundamentally different operating model and cost base to centre-based provision, the minimum base rate allocation and the Staff Funding Additional Contribution will not apply to registered childminders. All other Core Funding measures will apply.