A childcare scheme for people in emergency accommodation is being extended beyond Dublin.
Eight more parts of the country will be covered by the programme that grants children under five 25 hours of free childcare a week and a daily meal.
Among the new areas to be included are Donegal, Leitrim and Cavan, according to the Irish Independent.
Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone says the cost of childcare prevents parents from taking up work and education opportunities, and the scheme is aimed at ‘lifting that barrier for those families in greatest need’.
