2870. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has assessed the number of graduate qualified early learning and childcare educators who are working in rooms where the Graduate Lead Educator Premium is already assigned to another educator; and if she will make a statement on the matter [60493/26]

2871. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of early learning and childcare educators who hold an approved Level 7 or higher qualification; the number who are currently recognised through the Graduate Lead Educator Premium under Core Funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter [60490/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2870 and 2871 together.

I would first like to note that the State is not the employer of staff in the sector and therefore, it does not determine pay or working conditions of individual staff members.

Latest Early Years Annual Sector Profile shows that 10,610 early years educators held an approved Level 7 or higher qualification, this accounts for 39% of early years educators.

Along with this, the scheme administrator, Pobal, undertook an analysis using Core Funding data accurate to August 2026 to provide a response to the Deputy’s question relating to Graduate Lead Educators attracting the Graduate Lead Educator Premium. Please note, Core Funding data is collected separately to the Early Years Annual Sector Profile

The Graduate Lead Educator Premium supports graduate-led provision in Early Learning and Care ELC, sessions. It forms part of the overall Core Funding allocation paid to a Partner Service and is not a payment made directly to an individual educator.

The premium is calculated by multiplying the number of weekly operating hours during which an appropriately qualified Lead Educator is assigned to an eligible room by the room’s operating weeks per year and by the premium rate of €4.44. A maximum of one Graduate Lead Educator Premium is payable for a room at any one time, even where more than one appropriately qualified Lead Educator is working in that room.

Partner Services decide how their Core Funding allocation is used, provided that expenditure is consistent with the approved areas set out in the Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement.

The Core Funding data analysis identified 6,214 staff IDs associated with educators who were recorded as underpinning the Graduate Lead Educator Premium within the allocation information contained in the extract. In addition, the analysis identified 5,040 staff IDs associated with appropriately qualified educators who had recorded contact hours in rooms attracting the Graduate Lead Educator Premium, but who were not recorded as the educator underpinning the premium for that same room and period.

Figures of 6,214 and 5,040 are not separate groups and should not be added together or expected to equal the total of 10,610. This is because an educator may be the person whose assignment generates the premium in one room or during one part of the Programme Year but may also work in another room or period where a different eligible educator’s assignment generates the premium. The premium remains payable only once for a room at any one time.