Childcare Plan maps out major reforms to services for children and parents – Currie

The Early Years Action Plan is a major step on the path to building an accessible, high-quality and affordable childcare system in Ireland, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Fine Gael’s Spokesperson on Childcare, Emer Currie said: “There are a lot of positives in the new Early Years Action Plan, ‘Shaping the Future’, which acknowledges challenges in the sector and outlines a roadmap towards an accessible, high-quality, affordable childcare system that parents and providers need.

“The plan affirms key commitments to reduce fees to €200 per month over the lifetime of the Government and to increase supply through the introduction of state-led facilities.

“Fees for families will continue to be reduced progressively through lowered fee caps in Core Funding Services in 2026.

“In addition, families on lower incomes will benefit from the changes to the thresholds for the income assessed subsidies under the National Childcare Scheme. This is an essential step by the Minister as the income threshold for means-tested subsidies hasn’t changed since 2019.

“The action plan elaborates on a programme of capital investment for state-led facilities to help address undersupply in certain areas.

“Recruitment and retention of staff is a key issue for the sector and the plan commits to supporting a further round of wage increases from Autumn 2026.

“It recognises that more work is needed to achieve a strong partnership between providers and the State in core funding like simplifying regulatory requirements while ensuring value for public investment and quality of provision.

“A regulatory requirement for services to publish their admission policies is to be introduced, as well as to consider making public funding conditional on inclusive admissions policies. I believe this is an opportunity for the Minister to also deal with the issue of non-refundable deposits which are causing stress and additional costs for families.

“These are all positive steps which can be undertaken in 2026. It is critical that there is now real and meaningful engagement and consultation with providers to inform Phase 2 of the plan, which will be published later next year and will outline the roadmap for meeting the Programme for Government commitment to reduce childcare fees to a maximum of €200 per month.

“The voice of parents, providers and childcare professionals is central to progress. Phase 2 must set out the foundations of a new childcare system, with private provision supplemented by public supply, that supports equal opportunities, boosts economic participation and delivers for every child.”