Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme to be prolonged to number one faculty

A subsidy scheme to lend a hand with the price of childcare shall be prolonged to number one school-age kids from September 2025.

On Thursday, Education Minister Paul Givan introduced a £55m bundle of measures for early finding out and childcare that may come with an extension of the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme.

The scheme got here into pressure in September and recently gives monetary reduction to families with kids below number one faculty age.

The scheme shall be prolonged to incorporate kids in number one faculty from 1 September 2025.

It is estimated the selection of kids who may just get pleasure from the bargain will building up through 60% from the present 15,000 to roughly 24,000, consistent with the training minister.

“This means that the working parents of school-age children will now receive the 15% subsidy, up to the capped amount, on their childcare bills,” Givan stated.

“When this is combined with tax free childcare, it will provide a reduction of up to 32% on childcare bills.”

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme on Thursday, Givan stated the growth of the scheme will “help inform some of the decisions parents would take in balancing how much they work compared to off-setting the cost of what childcare is.

“Some make a decision it is not value running or they cut back their hours as a result of it’s dearer to have childcare and this may lend a hand tell this choice.”

Givan announced he is also expanding early years services such as Sure Start, the Pathway Fund, Toybox and the Bookstart Baby Programme.

“Over the following 12 months I will be able to additionally proceed the growth of pre-school training against the function of offering 22.5 hours every week for all kids of their speedy pre-school 12 months,” he stated.

“At least an extra 100 settings offering the following cohort of 2,000 kids with a full-time position shall be to be had through September 2026.”