childcare

Sharp exchanges between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil dominate election debates

Fine Gael is expected to pledge to cut inheritance tax substantially when it unveils its manifesto at the weekend

Childcare fees set to increase at 600 Government-funded services

Department of Children has received applications for fee increases from more than 800 childcare providers

Election housing debate should not be about ‘shouting numbers’, Simon Harris says

Election 2024: Fine Gael leader promises more ‘interventionist’ State on child care and ‘firmer’ migration system

Creche place shortage: ‘We are panicking that we won’t find childcare and I need to return to work’

General election countdown: childcare is set to be a significant issue on the campaign trail

State child care system ‘in crisis’ and vulnerable children are ‘falling through the cracks’

Report of Child Law Project ‘sounds the alarm’ says special rapporteur on child protection

General election: Cap of €200 on childcare fees and 30,000 extra places promised by Labour

Extra staff and improved pay sector proposed at party’s policy launch

‘Organise childcare’ means one of two things: ask Granny or take a day off work

Unless you have a reliable and obliging childminder willing to shift their schedule to accommodate the whims of Simon Harris, the election is yet another headache for parents

Ireland’s largest creche group got €19m in Covid subsidies over three years

Giraffe Childcare operates 24 creches around Dublin, Kildare and Meath

Social Democrats promise to spend €250m on early years education and cap fees at €250 a month

‘Twin-track’ system would use budget surpluses to buy existing childcare businesses and build new facilities

Only mothers who find recognition in professional life seem to be guilty of ‘having it all’

Society considers mums suspected of working by choice to be playing a zero-sum game where career ambition comes at the cost of motherly love

Pilot scheme for nationalised childcare costed at €53m

Scheme would cater for 6,000 children across a range of different services intended to be representative of the current sector

Is free, publicly-funded childcare possible in Ireland?

Government has established a special unit to investigate what a ‘nationalised’ childcare model might look like

Childcare industry says level of support in budget like a ‘kick in the stomach’

Budget 2025: Increases in funding for early learning and childcare ‘utterly insufficient’, say providers

Budget 2025: Opposition calls for election as Coalition defends budget ‘bonanza’ in face of fierce criticism

Labour says budget was ‘all glitter and full of shiny gimmicks’; Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said she ‘wants to see a full restoration’ of barristers fees

Budget 2025 Q&A: inheritance tax and welfare changes the main focus for readers

Record interest among readers in wide-ranging live online post-budget question and answer session

Budget 2025 Q&A: Your PAYE tax breaks, mortgage relief and employee gift limit queries answered

Dominic Coyle of The Irish Times and Beryl Power from PwC answered readers’ questions in our post-budget live blog which has now finished. You can read back on all the questions and answers below

Budget 2025: Double child benefit payment; petrol and diesel prices to increase; series of personal tax cuts

The final cost of living package will now come in at just shy of €2 billion, well in excess of the €1.5bn expected

Child benefit bonuses, free school meals and extra childcare funding approved

Budget 2025: Government wants Ireland ‘to be one of the best countries in the world in which to be a child’, says Minister

Budget 2025: What it means for Irish households and businesses

Inside Business podcast with Ciarán Hancock

Budget 2025 main points: Energy credits, bonus welfare payments, higher minimum wage and tax changes

USC cut to 3%; extra credits for renters; 10,000 new social homes to built and free public transport for under-9s

Budget 2025: Two double child benefit payments expected in near €2bn cost-of-living package

Extension of the Help to Buy scheme to 2029, and extra tax on vulture funds expected

Childcare provider accused of obstructing Tusla inspector spared conviction after agreeing to pay €2,000

Judge notes ‘draconian’ law could have seen Padraig O’Connor, operator of Little Puddles Childcare in Glenageary, lose registration if convicted

‘I can only get 9¼ hours of creche time for my daughter’: parents call for State-run childcare

National Women’s Council and 25 other organisations want pilot programme established

South Dublin creche guiding at €450,000

Newly-constructed Carrickmines facility occupies prime location just off M50 motorway

South Dublin creche staff accused of hitting, force-feeding and being ‘cold’ to children

Gardaí and Tusla conducting investigations concerning reported physical, verbal and emotional abuse of toddlers

Childcare is now a battleground issue ahead of general election

Inside Politics podcast with Hugh Linehan

Fine Gael shifts to backing public childcare model as Harris dampens November election speculation

Taoiseach signals move away from reliance on private sector care while insisting Coalition Government will last full term

Getting a helping hand with the cost of childcare

Outside basic welfare payments, there are two schemes specifically focused on easing the financial burden on parents of young children

So, you want children. But can you afford them?

The increased cost of raising children is one of the main reasons why people are having fewer of them, says the World Economic Forum

Glenageary childcare provider admits obstructing Tusla inspection after he became ‘aggressive’

Prosecution stemmed from inspection of Little Puddles Childcare in Glenageary two years ago

Childcare reform: What do the new subsidies mean for parents and service providers?

Overall, some €1.1bn of public money will go into the sector this year but not everyone is happy

Increased childcare subsidies worth average of €33 extra a week due to come into effect Monday

Costs down by around 50 per cent for average parent through various programmes now introduced, Minister says

With thousands of children on childcare waiting lists, parents are left to solve an impossible puzzle

We talk about children’s best interests, but so far, there has not yet been the political will to prioritise them

I’m back at work months and my baby still doesn’t have a full-time childcare place

‘HELP!’ might be the subject line of my next email to the department

Simon Harris: ‘I can’t give the whole manifesto away, but should early childhood be part of the education system in a more formal way?’

In his first big interview as Taoiseach, the Fine Gael leader hints at his ‘big ideas’ on childcare, housing and infrastructural projects

Childcare crisis should be addressed through publicly run system, says women’s council

National Women’s Council calls on Government to establish a pilot scheme in the budget with a view to taking direct control of provision over the longer term

Q&A: Creches and core funding - why are childcare providers pulling out?

Some operators have been questioning aspects of the system and claim the effects of fee freezing and staffing and regulation compliance pose challenges

Hundreds of parents could face rise in creche fees if chains pull out of core funding

Some parents have been told their fees will now increase by almost a third at the start of next month

Childcare sector needs ring-fenced funding to boost pay and draw staff, Siptu says

Pre-budget submission by union calls for €100m-plus to facilitate better minimum pay rates and enhanced premiums for qualified childcare workers

Parents face creche fees hike as Little Rainbows chain pulls out of funding scheme

About 600 children attend the group’s five facilities in Dublin

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...

The Irish Times ePaper

Stardust

Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people

Common Ground

How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands