The Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2021/2022 survey is now available on the Early Years Hive.

This year, the Sector Profile is more important than ever.  Spring 2022 is a unique point in time for the sector with the end of pandemic measures and imminent introduction of a major new funding stream, Core Funding.

This is an optimal time to capture essential information about the sector.  Importantly, it also provides a baseline to assess the impact of Core Funding against.  As always, the data collected in the Sector Profile provides vital insight to track and monitor trends and identify key issues in the sector.

Given the importance of collecting this data at this point in time, completion of the Sector Profile is a necessary requirement in order to access Core Funding later this year.  To avail of Core Funding, a service must have completed the Sector Profile.  The opening of the Sector Profile at this point, earlier than in previous years, is to ensure that this step of the process can be complete in time to allow providers to take the next step of completing an application, finding out their Core Funding amount, signing the contract and for payments to start in August.

• Core Funding will offer providers a new type of partnership with the Department to deliver on the public good – quality for children; affordability for parents; better terms and conditions for staff; and stability and sustainability for providers.
• Core Funding will benefit providers of all sizes and types of provision.
• Core Funding will offer funding based on places available (capacity) rather than places filled (occupancy).
• Core Funding is allocated to services based on the key drivers of their operating costs –operating hours and weeks, age group of children services provided for and number of places.

This year, the Sector Profile survey is more important than ever as spring 2022 represents a unique point in time for the sector with the end of pandemic measures and the imminent introduction of a major new funding stream, Core Funding. It will also provide a baseline to assess the impact of Core Funding in the future.

The completion of the survey is also a necessary requirement to accessing Core Funding later this year. Please note that the data collected through the survey will not be used in the application for Core Funding.

Given that many services will close for the two weeks during the Easter period and may not have sufficient time to complete the survey the deadline for completion has been extended. The survey will remain open until 5pm on Wednesday, 4th May 2022 and it can be accessed through the Early Years Hive at this link.