New report shows hundreds of Kilkenny children on waitlists for Early Years education

As many children in Kilkenny return to Early Years and School Age Care settings this week after the summer break, nearly 800 children remain on waiting lists for a place.

Early Childhood Ireland is warning that without significant investment in the Early Years workforce in Budget 2026, efforts to expand capacity will fall short.

The latest figures from Pobal, the organisation which administers Early Years programmes, show that up to 794 children under the age of three are currently on créche waiting lists, highlighting the high demands for places in Kilkenny.

The data reveals that there are 41 children under the age of one on waiting and only two places available; 320 children aged one to two on waiting lists and one place available; and 433 children aged two to three on waiting lists and 61 places available to them.

Commenting on these figures, Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland, Frances Byrne said: “No child should miss out because of failures to invest properly in this vital workforce, yet that’s exactly what’s happening to hundreds of children in Kilkenny. Without significant investment in Budget 2026 and a renewed focus on staffing, challenges to recruit and retain educators will continue to block efforts to expand access for families.”

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In its Budget 2026 submission, Early Childhood Ireland has urged the government name a date to bring pay and conditions for Early Years and School Age Care graduates in line with primary school teachers, who are educated and trained to the same level which they say would begin to reverse the average staff turnover rate, which is over 20% in Kilkenny.

“Waiting lists like these would never be accepted in primary education, yet they remain a daily reality for younger children. As a first step to increasing capacity, Early Childhood Ireland is calling on the government to announce, on Budget day, a date for bringing Early Years and School Age Care graduates within public sector pay and conditions, in line with teachers,” Ms Byrne said.

“Currently, the government is mainly focused on reducing fees and although we welcome proposals to increase subsidies for families, this will only create further demand for places. Providers in Kilkenny will not be able to expand their capacity in settings unless they can recruit and retain qualified staff on appropriate terms and conditions.”

“Naming a date to bring graduates into pay parity with teachers is a crucial next step,” she concluded.