The National Women’s Council is calling for the Government to honour its promise of reducing the price of childcare for families to €200 per child per month in the upcoming Budget.
Thousands of children are stuck on waiting lists unable to find places, but NWC Executive Director Corrinne Hasson said at current prices many people would not even be able to afford places even if they are offered.
“Right now it can be up to €1,800 per child in a city like Dublin for a child to be able to get a place, so [the] Government needs to come through on their commitment to get it down to the €200 per month per child and give families the chance to be able to function properly.
“I think the 2027 Budget is an opportunity to properly invest in the public childcare model, to really value women, to really value equality and we’re hopeful that Government will take those first steps in this Budget.”
According to a report from Pobal, more than 46,000 children’s names are on waiting lists for childcare centres around the country.
The actual number of children waiting is likely to be lower, as many are on multiple lists and parents do not always take their child off a waitlist if they are offered a space elsewhere.
However, it is still a very high number, and Anne Waithira Burke, from AkiDwA, a network of migrant women in Ireland, said the lack of places and the unaffordability is a major issue for her members.
“It’s like a mini-mortgage, you’re talking about €1,000 a month, which most of us can’t afford. The amount of money is just ridiculous,” she said.
Ms Burke said immigrants have no family to rely on and often members who work nights would watch children for other migrants who work days and vice versa.
“Sometimes within the community we help each other, but we do need proper education for our children, we need to give them the proper grounding for them to be able to thrive, so that no family is being left behind and no child is being left behind,” she added.