Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) Government Programmes

There are namely five government programmes. They are ECCE, CCSP, CCSR, CCSR(T) and TEC. Here is a short summary of each, if you click on the relevant subtabs, these will go into better detail.

1. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE): This programme is a universal childcare
   programme otherwise known as ‘free pre-school’;
2. Community Childcare Subvention Plus (CCSP): This programme provides childcare
   funding support targeting low income families in private childcare services and
   community childcare services who have children registered after the snapshot period
   and for those children aged between 6 months and 3 years under universal childcare subvention funding;
   o Universal Subsidy (CCSU): As part of its plan to make childcare more affordable,
   the Department of Children and Youth Affairs introduced a universal subvention payment from September 2017, the payment of which is facilitated through the CCSP childcare programme.
3. Community Childcare Subvention Resettlement (CSSR): This programme provides
   childcare support to Programme Refugees to support their resettlement and integration
   into Irish society;
4. Community Childcare Subvention Resettlement (Transitional) (CSSR(T)): As part of the “Rebuilding Ireland – an Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness” the DCYA has provided access to free childcare for children of families experiencing homelessness; and
5. Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) Programmes: These programmes provide
   childcare funding support for parents participating in eligible ETB/Solas vocational
   training courses, Community Employment (CE) programmes or returning to
   employment.