Today, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, has announced the launch of the Childminding Development Grant for 2023.
The total sum of the grant’s budget is €250,000, and will provide up to €1,000 to assist childminders who are providing a childminding service in their own homes.
Minister O’Gorman has said the aim of the Childminding Development Grant is to support the enhancement of quality and safety within the service.
The grant can be used to purchase toys, childcare equipment, safety equipment, and equipment to support inclusion and STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths).
Registered and unregistered childminders as well as those who are planning to open a childminding business in 2023 will be able to apply for the grant.
For the first time, 75% of the grant will be paid in advance, in order to help childminders with the upfront costs of purchasing equipment.
When making the announcement of the grant today, Minister Roderic O’Gorman stated, “I am delighted to announce the launch of the 2023 Childminding Development Grant”.
“The welcome changes to the grants for 2023 are a direct result of feedback from childminders and other stakeholders on the Funding and Financial Supports Advisory Group, which was set up to assist in the implementation of the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028”.
“The involvement of childminders themselves is central to the design and the delivery of the National Action Plan for Childminding”.
The Minister added, “The drafting of childminder-specific regulations, and associated legislative reform, is under way at present, and consultation on the draft regulations will take place in the coming months”.
