Labour launch comprehensive plan for publicly provided childcare system

31 October 2024
  • Will deliver desperately needed additional childcare places.
  • Radically reduce fees for parents.
  • Ensure decent wages to early years workers.

Speaking at the launch of Labour’s childcare policy, Labour Senator Marie Sherlock said:

“Across the country parents are crying out for affordable, accessible, quality and reliable childcare. Under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, we see parents paying between €700-800 per month per child for what should be a public service. This needs to end now.

“Ireland currently has a privately provided but publicly funded model of early-years education and school-age care.

“The State has increased funding in recent years up to nearly €1.4bn in 2025 but most of this goes towards a for profit model of childcare.

“The impact of this is a sector that is struggling and parents that have no certainty when it comes to the care of their children.

“There are not enough places in the areas that need them, impacting younger children in particular. The sector is struggling to keep talented and devoted educators, with staff turnover at an average of 25% per year.

“We need a Niamh Bhreathnach moment for childcare. A vision and an ambition to give every child an equal start.”

Public Childcare System 

  • Deliver a universal and publicly provided system of early childhood education and care.
  • Guarantee a place for every child.
  • Cap costs at €200 per child per month in the meantime.
  • Provide professional pay to early years’ educators.

“Labour’s plans provide for 6,000 new public childcare places a year across an average of 100 new services with an average of 11 staff per service, building this up every year.

“This will cost about €53m a year. Over five years operating costs would increase to €300m with 30,000 places.

“We will map where demand is highest nationwide, and where there is a shortage of places to end the annual hunt undertaken by new parents in particular.

“Responsibility for the public system will eventually move to a new national agency for early years education and school age care. Labour will invest in building new facilities and co-locate where possible with new and existing schools. At least €70m total a year will be provided to fund a capital building programme.”

Childcare in-situ

“While rolling out the system, Labour will operate a hybrid system of for-profit services, but some small independent operators may wish to join the public scheme.

“In order to manage that transition, Labour will provide a ‘childcare in situ’ scheme. This will allow the State to take over the operation of existing services that wish to transfer to the public scheme or buy out those that indicate their intention to close due to retirement or withdraw from core funding.”

Affordability for parents

“Ireland still has some of the most expensive childcare fees in the OECD. Increases in the NCS subsidy has reduced costs, but it certainly hasn’t halved them.

“In Dublin two working parents will still be paying €700-€800 a month for full time care for a child. It’s not affordable.

“That’s why two years ago, Labour proposed a monthly cap on childcare costs of €200 per child, the equivalent of €50 per week or €10 per day. We are glad to see other parties finally catching up with us and the crisis in the childcare sector.”

Valuing care

“The failure of this Government to acknowledge and recognise the work of our early years’ educators, we are seeing a staff turnover of 25% per year in these settings.

“This is causing existing services to close and is impacting on those who might open new childcare settings because it is so hard to recruit and retain staff. It is undermining early education and care, the viability of services, and creating additional stress on managers as they struggle to maintain staffing ratios.

“Labour will increase ringfence core funding to guarantee a minimum €15 per hour rate for educators with additional increases across other grades.

“Salaries must also recognise experience and qualifications. In the public service salaries would initially be paid through the ETB at existing JLC/market rates until negotiated pay scales for a new category of public employee can be established.“

“Labour believes in a society that values care. Bringing Ireland’s system of early years’ education in line with our European counterparts must be a key mission of the next Government.”

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