Over 1,700 children in Carlow have benefitted from the National Childcare Scheme in 2023

The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help families with their early learning and childcare costs.

There are two types of subsidies available for children aged between 24 weeks and 15 years of age:

1. A universal subsidy which is not means tested and provides €1.40 per hour, for a maximum of 45 hours per week

2. An income assessed subsidy which is means tested and will be calculated based on a family’s individual circumstances

In the first six months of 2023, a total of 135,267 children availed of supports under the Scheme – compared to 71,213 for the same period in 2022.

1,708 children in Carlow availed of this scheme during the first six months of 2023, an increase from the 1,096 children from the same period in 2022.