A new initiative aimed at providing financial assistance for childcare costs will be rolled out to include primary school-age children starting in September 2025. Education Minister Paul Givan revealed a £55m plan to support early learning and childcare, which will involve an extension of the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme.
Initially introduced last September, the subsidy scheme currently benefits households with children below primary school age. However, with the upcoming expansion, children in primary school will also be eligible for the support starting September 1, 2025.
The move is expected to benefit a larger number of children, with an estimated 60% increase from the current 15,000 to around 24,000. Givan emphasized that this extension means working parents of school-age children will now receive a 15% subsidy on their childcare expenses, capped at a certain amount, alongside tax-free childcare to potentially reduce bills by up to 32%.
In addition to the subsidy scheme, Givan outlined plans to enhance early years services like Sure Start, the Pathway Fund, Toybox, and the Bookstart Baby Programme. Looking ahead, he aims to further expand pre-school education to provide 22.5 hours per week for all children in their immediate pre-school year, with an additional 100 settings set to offer full-time places for 2,000 more children by September 2026
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