The new Core Funding model for the Early Years sector will make the industry sustainable and stabilise fees for families.
That's according to Paula Donohoe of Clever Clogs in Ballyconnell, who says the "progressive" plan is recognition of the hardworking professionals in the childcare sector.
The €221m fund is dependent on two main terms - that two thirds of the money will go toward staff wages and that providers must agree not to raise their fees.
The Federation of Early Childcare Providers says it will result in some providers making a loss and claims that a third of early childcare providers plan to reject the new model.
While Paula Donohoe acknowledged that the agreement to not raise fees will be difficult, she told The Wider View that Core Funding will provide "stability and sustainability:
