Minister Foley publishes 2024 progress report for First 5, the whole of government strategy for babies, young children and their families
Date: 01-05-2025
- €1.3 billion investment in early learning and childcare this year, which builds on the €1 billion investment target that was met in 2023, five years earlier than anticipated
- 95% of 2024 commitments expected to be delivered by year end
- Further milestones include extra two weeks of paid Parent’s Leave and an additional payment of €280 for a new baby among others
The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, has today published the First 5 Annual Implementation Report 2024.
First 5, the ten-year Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families was published in November 2018. The strategy includes 125 actions to improve the lives of babies, young children and their families in their “First 5” years of life. The strategy is delivered by a wide variety of stakeholders whose contributions are vital to its success including ten Government Departments, the HSE, Tusla, as well as 31 delivery partners.
The report published today summarises recent progress in implementing the strategy, with 56% of all 2024 commitments met at this point and 95% expected to be met by year end. In particular, the report details €1.3 billion of investment for early learning and childcare, which builds on the €1 billion investment target that was met in 2023, five years earlier than anticipated
The report contains details on all the milestones reached so far, as all Departments, Agencies, Partners, and stakeholders work together to implement the First 5 Big Steps. Some of the key achievements from 2024 that have already been achieved include:
Parents with a child under two years of age are each entitled to an extra two weeks of paid Parent's Leave and Benefit.
A 24% increase for early learning and childcare in Budget 2025, bringing funding up by €266 million to over €1.3 billion.
Launch of the Parent Peer Support Fund to help organisations promote the sharing of information and improve parental wellbeing with €100,000 of available funding.
The ‘New Baby Grant’, which is an additional payment of €280 for a newborn or adopted child, was announced as part of Budget 2025.
The progression of several measures and supports encouraging optimal health behaviours such as breast feeding, healthy eating, physical activity, and child safety.
The extension of the Access and Inclusion Model to children in the universal two-year pre-school Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) programme. This involves providing targeted supports to children with disabilities outside of time spent in the ECCE programme, throughout the year.
The Building Blocks Expansion Scheme allocated €1.3m to services to undertake renovations or to upgrade existing space to cater for more children. It is expected to deliver up to 300 new places for one to three-year-olds.
Childminder-specific regulations were introduced to allow registered childminders to be covered by the National Childcare Scheme.
Equal Start, a new model of state supports, was launched to ensure children experiencing disadvantage can access and meaningfully participate in early learning and childcare.
Speaking about today’s publication, Minister Foley said she was pleased with the: “considerable progress that has been made to deliver on the commitments in the First 5 Strategy by Government departments, state agencies and the community and voluntary sector.”
“I believe a lot can be accomplished in this term of Government to improve services and supports to young children in their “First 5” years of life. Our new Programme for Government includes important steps to improve accessibility and affordability of early learning and childcare, to professionalise its workforce, improve quality and to alleviate childhood poverty.”
“As we move towards the final phase of implementation of the First 5 Strategy, I strongly believe that we can create positive change to ensure all children can get the best start in life and reach their full potential. I look forward to continuing to work with stakeholders to bring us closer to this reality."