The Government is to provide grants of more than €153 million over the next three years to help fund childcare places in disadvantaged communities.
These funds will be allocated through the new Community Childcare Subvention Scheme, announced by Minister of State with special responsibility for children Brendan Smith yesterday.
The scheme will operate from 2008 to 2010. Grants will be awarded to community-based, non-profit childcare services and are intended to supplement the cost of childcare for parents who are unable to pay for it.
The new grants scheme will be funded through the National Childcare Investment Programme when the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme expires in December.
Fine Gael's spokesman for social and family affairs David Stanton said the scheme was "overdue", but he hoped it would bring some clarity to community-based childcare.
While he welcomed an increase in childcare funding, he believed that it was not enough to provide a pre-school place for every child. "Funding is important, but the Government really needs to devise an overall childcare strategy," Mr Stanton said. "Childcare policy and the quality of services provided are crucial."
The co-ordinator of the Dublin City Childcare Committee, Nuala Nic Giobúin, said she was pleased to learn of the new scheme in advance of the expiry of the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme. "First of all, we welcome the continuing availability of childcare staffing grants, because we are operating in areas of extreme disadvantage in Dublin.
"Secondly, we welcome the 16 per cent increase in funding that this scheme provides," she added.
However, Ms Nic Giobúin did not think the scheme would meet the full needs of the community.