Report shows childcare costs have risen by seven euros per week

A report published by Pobal shows full-time childcare has increased for the first time in five years.

Parents are bound to feel the pinch as full-time childcare has increased by over €7, bringing the cost to €174.16 per week. The factors causing the jump are likely due to inflation, increasing rental prices and insurance. The Early Years Sector Profile report - based on data gathered form surveys from 3,707 services in May 2017 as well as information from the childcare ICT system (PIP) – also reiterated that urban areas are more expensive than rural. Childcare fees were found to be highest in Dublin. Across all three service types (full-time, part-time, sessional), Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown costs €228.34, €128.65 and €90.14 per week. Leitrim was revealed to have the lowest average fee for full-time places at €142 and €58.68 for a sessional place while childcare in Carlow would cost €63.11 for part-time. The report also looked at staff qualifications and wages, with 92 percent of childcare staff having an NFQ level of 5 or over – an average increase of 4 percent. Sixty-three percent of staff hold a NFQ level 6 or over, while half of all childcare staff work part-time. The average wage of staff is €11.93 per hour. It is also estimated that over 186,000 children attend early years services across Ireland, while over 147,000 children are availing of government funded childcare places - an increased of 41 percent in the last year. Pobal CEO, Denis Leamy said;

“I am very proud of Pobal’s development of this report to assist our colleagues in Government in their role as policy makers. It is also an important information source In the national discussion on the direction of childcare in the future.”