12/06/2026
⚠️CHILDCARE IN IRELAND: THE WARNING SIGNS ARE NO LONGER AHEAD OF US⚠️
Three years ago, providers stood before policymakers and outlined exactly where the sector was heading.
We warned about sustainability.
We warned about staffing shortages.
We warned about service closures.
We warned about provider burnout.
We warned about capacity loss.
We warned that if the underlying economics of the sector were not addressed, the consequences would eventually be felt by children, families, communities and the wider economy.
Today, we are no longer discussing warnings.
We are discussing reality.
Across Ireland, childcare places are becoming harder to access.
Parents are travelling further than ever to secure ECCE and childcare places.
Services have closed.
Rooms are sitting empty.
Not because there is no demand.
Not because there are no children.
But because there are not enough educators available to keep them open.
At the same time, educators and providers are experiencing some of the highest levels of stress and burnout ever recorded within the sector.
Our recent peer-reviewed research with Dublin City University highlighted significant concerns around provider wellbeing, mental health and sustainability.
The evidence is clear.
The pressure is real.
And the warning signs are all around us.
Perhaps the most alarming statistic of all is that more than 1,000 early years services have left the sector in recent years.
For context, that represents over 25% of all early years services in Ireland.
Imagine if over 25% of primary schools disappeared.
Imagine if over 25% of GP practices disappeared.
Imagine if over 25% of fire stations disappeared.
There would be national outrage.
Yet this is happening within a sector that supports hundreds of thousands of children, parents and employers every single day.
This is not simply a childcare issue.
It is a national infrastructure issue.
When childcare services close:
Children lose access.
Parents lose choice.
Employers lose workers.
Communities lose vital services.
The economy feels the impact.
What has become increasingly clear is that many of the challenges being discussed are not separate issues.
Staffing shortages.
Recruitment difficulties.
Provider burnout.
Capacity loss.
Service closures.
Historical fee freezes.
Core Funding challenges.
These are not isolated problems.
They are all symptoms of one central issue.
Provider sustainability.
The childcare sector is not short of children.
It is not short of demand.
It is not short of dedicated educators.
What it is increasingly short of is sustainable providers.
And without sustainable providers there can be no sustainable childcare system.
One of the clearest examples of the financial reality facing providers can be found in the Government’s own actions.
Over the last two years, approximately €90 million in additional funding has been allocated specifically to support wage increases within the sector.
That fact alone tells a powerful story.
Because if providers were operating with sufficient margins, if services had the financial capacity to absorb increasing employment costs, this funding would never have been required.
The Labour Court recognised that educators deserved better pay.
Providers agreed.
Government agreed.
Yet even after those decisions were made, tens of millions of euro in additional funding were still required because the money simply was not available within the existing system.
This is not evidence that providers were unwilling to pay higher wages.
It is evidence that many providers could not.
That distinction matters.
For most businesses, wage growth comes from growth.
From increased turnover.
From increased revenue.
From improved margins.
But childcare providers are operating in an environment where:
Costs continue to rise.
Wages continue to rise.
Regulatory obligations continue to rise.
Expectations continue to rise.
Yet the ability to generate additional revenue has been heavily restricted through years of fee controls, fee freezes and funding structures that do not always reflect the true cost of delivery.
In simple terms:
The costs of delivering childcare have increased dramatically.
The ability to generate additional income has not.
That is not a sustainable business model.
And when a business model becomes unsustainable, the consequences are inevitable.
Investment stops.
Expansion stops.
Recruitment becomes difficult.
Rooms close.
Places are lost.
Services disappear.
The sector is not asking for special treatment.
It is not asking for sympathy.
It is asking for recognition of reality.
Providers have embraced regulation.
Providers have embraced quality frameworks.
Providers have embraced inspections.
Providers have embraced workforce reforms.
Educators continue to show extraordinary commitment to the children in their care.
Parents continue to place their trust in the sector every day.
Everyone has continued carrying their share of the burden.
But there comes a point where carrying more is no longer possible.
The greatest risk facing childcare in Ireland today is not affordability.
It is not recruitment.
It is not administration.
The greatest risk is the continued loss of provider capacity.
Because without providers there are no places.
Without places there is no access.
Without access there is no affordability.
Without sustainability there is no system.
The conversation must now move beyond acknowledging the challenges.
The evidence has been presented.
The experiences have been shared.
The statistics are clear.
The question is no longer whether a problem exists.
The question is whether we are prepared to act before more places are lost, more services close, more educators leave and more families are left without the support they need.
The warning signs are no longer ahead of us.
They are around us.
And the time for action is now.
