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Investigateschildcare feesRISING CHILDCARE FEES has become a hot-button political issue over the last number of years, with many parents struggling to keep up with costs.
Ahead of the general election last year, both opposition and government parties promised to reduce fees to €200 a month.
But Budget 2026 had no mention of this promise from the government, much to the dismay of parents and childcare organisations.
The Journal Investigates also revealed last week that more than 50 childcare providers have withdrawn from the government’s Core Funding scheme in the last few years.
As a result, many parents have seen their fees soar after their provider withdrew from the scheme.
Across Europe, childcare fees are also significantly cheaper than in Ireland, even with the Irish government spending millions on grants and subsidies.
Readers contacted us from across the country about their experiences with the cost of childcare.
They told us how they have been forced to take time off work or reduce their hours. Some were lucky enough to find cheaper, alternative childcare, but for many, they had to find the money from somewhere.
Most of those who spoke to us wished to remain anonymous, fearing pushback from their current childcare provider.
Thank you to everyone who got in touch.
Here’s what you told us.
Investigations like this don’t happen without your support… Impactful investigative reporting is powered by people like you.
Many parents who got in touch told us about the financial pressure they’re under because of a rise in fees, often because a provider has withdrawn from Core Funding.
The scheme aims to aims to improve the affordability of childcare by freezing childcare fees, with providers receiving a government grant in return.
Providers in the scheme can still increase their fees, but they must seek approval from the Department of Children first.
A parent in Galway said that their provider recently pulled out of the scheme and increased their prices by €90 a week per child.
“Our monthly bill has risen to an astronomical €1,855, the burden made even heavier by the fact we have two children requiring care,” they said.
This recent change put “an immense financial strain” on this reader’s family, pushing “the cost of childcare beyond affordability” and forcing them to find alternative care.
They aren’t alone.
Lisa, a parent in Meath, told The Journal Investigates that since their provider pulled out of Core Funding, fees have almost doubled.
As a parent with three children, Lisa said that “it’s just not affordable or sustainable” to have them all receive full-time childcare with the fee increases across the board.
“It’s hardly worth our while working, but we are relying on a mortgage drawdown, so our hands are tied.”
Several parents also told us about their experiences with the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), which provides a subsidy to parents for childcare.
A parent in Dublin has seen afterschool childcare fees for her two children rise to over €600 a month, something she struggles to afford.
“Every month I am behind and have to turn to family for help with getting food or help towards the afterschool bill.”
She receives the NCS subsidy from the government, but under this scheme, the amount of subsidy you receive is tied to how many hours of childcare you avail of.
Our reader explains that “what this means in reality is sitting outside the afterschool as I can’t afford to pick my kids up early as my funding will be reduced.”
“I would love to pick up my kids, but can’t, and I feel heartbroken when they ask to be collected early.”
Another parent in Meath said they were forced to take parental leave from work after their monthly childcare fees went up by €900 a month.
They called the NCS a “crazy system” because if they had reduced their hours instead, they would’ve ended up paying more.
“Subsidies are only reduced if a child is continuously under-attending or not using the agreed hours for a period of 12 consecutive weeks,” a spokesperson for the Department of Children told The Journal Investigates.
They added that “once the under-attendance is broken by one full week of attendance within this cycle, the subsidy is unchanged and parents need not take any further action.”
An evaluation of the NCS is also due to start this year.
Many parents who reached out to our team expressed frustration at the inflexibility of some childcare providers, even though parents are given no choice when it comes to fee increases.
A parent of two children in Co Kildare told The Journal Investigates that they enrolled one of their children in an early intervention ASD class this year.
This class only runs in the morning, and so both parents take turns transporting their child from the class to the creche during their lunch breaks.
“At first, we thought this would ease the financial pressure, since we would only need to cover childcare for him in the afternoons. Unfortunately, the reality turned out to be the opposite.”
Our reader said that the creche would only accept this arrangement if they kept their child in a full-time spot, despite only needing half the hours.
They also lost out on the Early Childhood Care and Education grant – a programme that provides three hours of free childcare for preschool children – and had half their NCS subsidy cut.
“The end result is that our household now pays almost €800 more each month for childcare. We basically pay two mortgages at the moment.”
Another parent in Wicklow made use of flexible working hours to reduce the amount of childcare required when faced with a fee increase they couldn’t afford.
But when they informed the childcare provider of this decision, they were told they would have to continue paying for the full day of childcare until another family filled the gap.
“We were forced to change our childcare arrangements due to the company’s decision to drop out of Core Funding, and yet they are not allowing us to change our child’s hours on our terms,” our reader said, adding:
“We are expected to cough up, no matter what.”
A number of parents with children in Little Harvard locations reached out to confirm that some pulled out of the government scheme.
A spokesperson from the Department of Children previously told The Journal Investigates that it was aware from parents that some Little Harvard locations had pulled out of the scheme.
A letter sent to parents at one of the Little Harvard locations that has withdrawn and seen by The Journal Investigates states that by no longer participating in the scheme, they can “continue operating with integrity”.
It echoes claims made by many other providers that a rise in the cost of delivering services, such as wages, rent, food and insurance, hasn’t been met by funding increases from the government.
The letter also adds that to continue in the scheme would mean “compromising on quality”.
While these parents have been hit with substantial fee increases, many of them were also annoyed at only receiving a month’s notice of the change.
A parent in Co Kildare told The Journal Investigates they had decided to delay their four-year-old’s entry into primary school until next year, keeping them in Little Harvard for another year. They said:
“We did not anticipate that this decision would result in an additional €3,000 in childcare costs for the year.”
Another parent in Dublin said that the unexpected fee increases came at a time when she’s still on unpaid maternity leave.
Having recently moved home from London, she said, “it’s extra outgoings we hadn’t budgeted for, all while trying to get our foot on the property ladder.”
The family were previously paying £1,500 a month (equivalent to €1,700 a month or €20,400 a year ) for four days of childcare in London, but in a cruel twist, the UK government recently introduced 30 hours of free childcare a week for working parents, which would have substantially reduced their costs.
Our reader said that they came back to Ireland in search of “a better quality of life for our children”, but with the way fees have increased, it is having an impact on family finances and future plans.
“Here, we’re paying nearly €9,800 [a year] for one child, and with a second starting next September, our hopes of having three children feels entirely impossible.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Children told The Journal Investigates, “Little Harvard has regrettably chosen to withdraw five of its twenty-two services from Core Funding.”
They said that Little Harvard would have received €5.8 million in funding from this scheme this year, “an increase of 208% on funding for the chain since 2022”.
Little Harvard did not respond to a request for comment.
Some of the parents who got in touch were understanding of the difficult situation some childcare providers have found themselves in.
One parent in Dublin said that they don’t blame the creche, adding, “between rising food and energy prices and the need to pay staff a fair, liveable wage, it’s hard to see how providers can remain in business without stepping away from Core Funding.”
But even with that understanding, the reality for parents is that they are left covering the cost of the government grant that providers are giving up.
“The question many families like ours are left asking is, where is that extra money supposed to come from?”
Many parents focused their attention on the government, with Rachel, a parent in Dublin, telling The Journal Investigates that even though she reduced the amount of childcare needed from three to two days a week, “it still costs more than what we were paying before June.” She added:
“The government’s target of bringing costs down is failing for a lot of families.”
Other parents whose providers have remained in Core Funding are fearful that they’ll be next.
One parent in Co Kildare told our team that she’ll have to leave work if there are any more price increases, something that will impact her later in life with missed salary rises and fewer pension contributions.
“The election promise of a reduction to €200 per month seems to have gone into the ether,” she said.
Louise in Galway City believes that even if the government makes Core Funding more attractive to providers, the damage is already done and many won’t return.
“They now have parents paying the fees, they have less paperwork and more control over their costs,” she said.
A Department spokesperson said “Core Funding for providers will rise to over €436 million for the first time in this Budget,” adding that 91% of providers remain in the scheme.
“The Department is always exploring the potential for further changes to enhance Core Funding,” the spokesperson said.
They added that issues facing families, such as those with children in services that have withdrawn, will inform this work.
Reporter: Conor O’Carroll • Editor: Maria Delaney • Social Media: Cliodhna Travers
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