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A new Affordable Childcare Scheme is opening up to all Irish parents from October 2019! In this article, we look at 8 different examples given on what parents and parents to be can expect, as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr. Katherine Zappone continues to prepare for its&#39; implementation. While this scheme makes great strides in the right direction, will it do enough to support parents who want to continue working after having a family? Amount of subsidy available is based on net household income and number and age of children. Examples <ul> <li>Lone parent on net annual income of €26,000, with one child aged 2 years in need of 40 hours of childcare per week will get a weekly subsidy of €175 </li><li>Family with a net annual income of €30,000, with two children aged 1 and 2.5 years and in need of 25 hours of childcare per week will get a weekly subsidy of €220 </li><li>Family with net annual income of €34,600, with a 1 year old and 2 year old twins in need of 40 hours of childcare per week; €522 </li><li>Family with net annual income of €35,000, with two children aged 1 and 2.5 years and in need of 25 hours of childcare per week: €192 </li><li>Family with net annual income of €47,500, with two children aged 2 years (40 hours childcare per week) and 5 years (17 hours out-of-school care per week): €128 </li><li>Family with net annual income of €53,000, with two children aged 2 years (40 hours childcare per week) and 5 years (17 hours out-of-school care per week) (Making 10% pension contribution); €93 </li><li>Family with net annual income of €60,000, with a 1 year old and 2 year old twins in need of 40 hours of childcare per week; €176</li> <li> Family with net annual income of €60,000, with three children aged 2 years (40 hours childcare per week) and 5 years (17 hours out-of-school care per week) and 7 (17 hours out-of-school care per week). (Making 10% pension contribution); €92 </li></ul> Of course, it&#39;s always &quot;worth it&quot; to have a healthy beautiful family, but is it worth continuing to work? Are parents being forced out of the workforce, predominantly women due to the costs associated with childcare? This is the question that faces a lot of parents as they decide whether one parent should stay at home - at least until the children are school going age. During a time of almost &quot;full employment&quot; can we afford to lose key skilled professionals? It&#39;s fine if it&#39;s by choice, but what if we are forcing people out of the workforce! According to recent data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) there is a massive financial burden on working parents around the country since the crash as costs for childcare continue to soar. We now rank amongst the highest in Europe. The latest household budget surveys revealed that on average, a Dublin household with children up to the age of 14 was spending 36pc more than it had been paying five years ago with some families outlaying more on childcare than on their mortgage. Full Time childcare costs can range between €850 - €1,300 a month for 1 child depending on the location of the Childcare service. An average of almost €13,000 a year. The minister&#39;s office has announced that comprehensive information, training and support will be available to parents, childcare providers and other stakeholders from early next year and that these changes will mean that more families will benefit. Further information will continue to be available on <a href="http://www.affordablechildcare.ie">www.affordablechildcare.ie</a> over the coming months.

Childcare subsidy for "Irish Triplets" 

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone, has announced that the new Affordable Childcare Scheme will open for applications in mid- October 2019, with payments flowing from November 2019.  The scheme will offer a single, easy to access system of financial subsidies towards childcare for families in Ireland.  Through this, it will enhance affordability and accessibility, and provide a platform for investment in quality childcare to benefit current and future generations.  “I have been steadfast in my commitment to deliver the crucial change that families need, and so I am delighted to be able to announce the timeframe for the introduction of the new Affordable Childcare Scheme” commented Minister Zappone.  “We are building the radical new childcare infrastructure needed to transform childcare in Ireland from one of the most expensive in the world into one of the very best. This involves putting in place a legislative framework, through the Childcare Support Act 2018, and building a world class IT system to allow parents to access tailored childcare supports that will meet the needs of each family.  By lowering childcare costs, the Affordable Childcare Scheme aims to support parents to return to work and training, to reduce child poverty and to improve child outcomes.” From October 2019 everyone will be able to apply for the new Affordable Childcare Scheme.  To ensure a smooth transition for both parents and providers, the current childcare subsidy schemes will remain in place for the 2019/20 programme year.  People will be able to register for the current schemes as normal, from August 2019 up until the new Affordable Childcare Scheme launches.  After the launch date, people can choose to move over to the new Scheme or to remain on their old scheme for the remainder of the programme year.  This will provide certainty for current scheme beneficiaries, offer ample time to apply for the new scheme and ensure that no family is worse off during the transition period.  Once the Affordable Childcare Scheme is in place in October 2019, registrations under the existing schemes will cease. Comprehensive information, training and supports will be available to parents, childcare providers and other stakeholders from early next year in readiness for the launch of the scheme.  Enhancements to the Affordable Childcare Scheme announced as part of Budget 2019 will mean that an even greater number of families will now benefit from the scheme.  The significant increase in the maximum net income threshold to €60,000 per annum means that an estimated 7,500 additional children will benefit from the scheme relative to the original proposals, including some families with gross income of up to €100,000 per annum.  Over 40,000 other children, already eligible, will see increases to their subsidies.  Childcare providers, who play an integral role in the delivery of all of the DCYA childcare schemes, will continue to receive a Programme Support Payment (PSP) in 2019. Budget 2019 provided funding of €19.4m for PSP, an increase of nearly 8%, which will bring the total amount of PSP paid to childcare providers since 2017 to over €55m in recognition of the administrative support they offer in delivering the schemes’ benefits to parents. Further information relating to the launch of the scheme will be made available at <a href="http://affordablechildcare.ie/">www.affordablechildcare.ie</a> over the coming months. Families can also find information on the website in relation to existing supports to make childcare more affordable in Ireland.  What will the Affordable Childcare Scheme mean for different families? The amount of subsidy available under the new scheme is tailored to every individual household’s circumstances, i.e. it is based on the net income of the household, the number of children and the ages of the children. The table below provides examples based on 8 common family circumstances <a href="https://www.dcya.gov.ie/documents/earlyyears/20181106TableEarlyYearsScheme06Oct2018.pdf">(Click Here).</a> <a href="http://affordablechildcare.ie/?fbclid=IwAR0zlHNnKzwxAjR9g9lITzufemFy0Ec75EF0oYCJysomu4p2xPtQybKdL8M">Source</a>

New Affordable Childcare Scheme to open for applications in October 2019

Retail giants Argos have announced they&#39;re hiring 310 staff in Dublin and Ireland to manage the busy Black Friday and Christmas periods. The UK retailer is looking for customer advisors and stock assistants to help meet customer demand during these peak shopping times. The company says it will offer mostly 20 hours per week contracts with fewer hours available on request. New team members are promised &#39;competitive hourly rates, a variety of shifts, a fun and friendly team culture and the chance to develop new skills through training&#39;. There is also potential for some seasonal roles to become permanent, where vacancies exist. Angie Risley, Group HR Director said: “Black Friday and Christmas are busy times in retail and it’s really exciting to work with us during the festive period. &quot;If you enjoy helping people, like working in a team with friendly, enthusiastic colleagues and want to learn new skills, then this is the right job for you.” For more information on how to apply <a href="https://www.jobalert.ie/job/christmas-staff-argos-argos">click here</a>

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