Creches are being forced to turn away babies and toddlers over a lack of places.
Free pre-school places for three to five year olds mean that facilities are under pressure.
The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme guarantees that all children get access to pre-schooling in Ireland.
Over 120,000 children a year are now availing of the scheme.
A lack of places for babies and toddlers is an accidental side-effect of the scheme’s high uptake.
The Irish Independent reports that it is affecting new mums’ ability to go back to work after having a baby.
Women are having to ask their employers to increase their leave as they struggle to secure childcare for babies and toddlers.
Over two thirds of the places in childcare facilities in Ireland are taken by preschoolers.
Taking on babies is more costly for facilities, incentivising them to prioritise older children.
There is a mandatory 1:3 staff-to-child ratio in place for baby rooms, while only one staff member is required for every eight children over the age of three.
“The second [free] pre-school year cannibalised places for younger children,” Early Childhood Ireland chief executive Teresa Heaney told the publication.
“That is what is happening. It is particularly acute in areas of population growth.”
The Department of Children has said that it is “monitoring the situation closely”.
How does the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme work?
Kids between two years and eight months of age and and those who will be five years and six months at the end of the pre-school year are eligible for the ECCE.
The scheme tends to work out at three hours a day, five days a week for the duration of the school year (38 weeks) but depends on the facility.
Want to know more? Check out our comprehensive guide here.
