Childcare costs hit Louth families as NWC calls for action

Childcare in Louth now costs parents an average of €185.62 a week for one child, with more than 1,400 children on waiting lists, new figures from Pobal show. The National Women’s Council (NWC) says the situation highlights the urgent need for Government action and is calling for Budget 2026 to deliver a public childcare system that lowers costs, expands access, and supports women returning to work.

Ireland ranks in the top three countries in Europe for childcare costs. Country wide, there are more than 50,000 children under the age of four on waiting lists for places across the country; and thousands more on waiting lists for after-school/school-age childcare.

The National Women’s Council is now urging the Government to use Budget 2026 to deliver a shift in Ireland’s early childhood education and care system. This call is supported by over 40 civil society organisations who have come together in the Together for Public Alliance to campaign for a public system of early childhood education and care.

In last year’s Programme for Government, the government promised to cap childcare fees at €200 per month and to begin providing State-run services in communities facing the greatest childcare gaps. But the Women’s Council say more than a year on, families, children and educators are still waiting and meaningful progress is yet to be made.

“Even when the modest State subsidies are taken into account, these fees are completely unsustainable for countless families.

In addition, the lack of available places is acting as a major barrier for women to return to work and for their full participation in all aspects of society,” they have said.

Orla O’Connor, Director of The National Women’s Council said:

“Families across the country are under enormous pressure, paying some of the highest childcare costs in Europe. Many are struggling to even secure a place. Our broken childcare system particularly affects women who are forced to make difficult decisions about their careers and lives.

“The Government has promised to tackle the crisis and must now deliver. Budget 2026 is a unique opportunity to invest in building a public system of early childhood education and care that is affordable for parents, values educators, and supports women and families. We want to see a system where every child who needs a place has access to one, just as children do in the primary school system.”

Donal Swan, Women’s Equality Co-ordinator at the National Women’s Council, said:

“Early childhood education and care should be treated as essential public infrastructure, not a luxury only for those who can afford it. The only way Ireland can meet its own targets and come in line with other EU countries is by moving away from a private, market-led model and building a truly public system.

“Recent media reports of crèche buildings lying idle in new housing estates show a unique opportunity for the State to step in, take these facilities on, and begin delivering childcare directly in the communities that need it most.”

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Specifically, NWC is calling on the Government to invest an additional €300m to:
- Reduce costs for families
- Expand targeted supports and funding schemes such as Equal Start and AIM
- Provide ring-fenced funding for educators’ wages.

They say €30m must be allocated to begin the rollout of publicly delivered childcare services, starting with 50 pilot services in marginalised and underserved communities.