If you are a parent/guardian who is on low income, is in school, job training or in receipt of social welfare payment then you may be eligible for assistance with your childcare costs.

The Department of Children and Youth Afairs (DCYA) currently provides financial help towards childcare costs for many of these parents/guardians under the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) Programme.

You may be eligible for CCS funding if you are in receipt of social welfare payment and/or hold a medical card. The funding rates can be found on the CCS Band Rates List showing what 'band' is assigned to parents/guardians based on their eligibility.

The maximum subvention is €95 per week but the amount will depend on how often your child attends the childcare service and what funding 'band' is assigned.

Parents should contact their local childacre service or City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) for more information. You may be asked by your childcare service to provide proof that you are eligible to access funding.

There are approximately 913 community/ not-for-profit childcare services nationwide participating in the CCS Programme, catering for up to 27,000 children annually.

Under budget 2016, funding was allocated to provide for the expansion of the CCS Programme to new community/not-for-profit childacre services as well as private childcare providers in order to make CCS funding more accessible to families and children.

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