MINISTER FOR CHILDREN Norma Foley has announced that her Department will begin investing in “up to eight” State-led “not-for-profit” childcare facilities this year.

Each facility will provide more than 100 places for children, however, it is unclear how much each place will cost. 

Launching the plan today, the Minister said the Department of Children is currently in negotiations with local authorities and State agencies, including the Land Development Agency, about the potential for acquiring buildings for the scheme. 

The Minister said “advanced discussions” are ongoing with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council in relation to an early learning and care facility at the Shanganagh Castle Estate, and that a range of other projects are also being considered.

It is not yet clear where the other facilities will be located.

Minister Foley said: “The programme will commence immediately, with up to eight services being funded this year. The level of investment will ramp up over the lifetime of the Government. I look forward to working with not-for-profit operators to deliver high quality State-led early learning and childcare.”

Today’s announcement comes as Taoiseach Micheál Martin reiterated that he is committed to reducing the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child within the lifetime of this government. 

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said there were 50,000 children waiting for a childcare place and that the programme for government pledge to reduce childcare fees to €200 a month had been “ditched”.

“You’ve made no reference to your promise for 200-euro childcare, you’ve obviously ditched that but you haven’t got the integrity to just state that plainly,” she said during Leaders’ Questions.

“That will happen, we’re not ditching anything, we’re committed to that and we’re going to do it. But it’s over the lifetime of the government,” the Taoiseach responded.

The Fianna Fáil leader said that the capital investment announced this week would “significantly increase childcare places over the coming years”.

The Government had sought to limit increases in childcare fees by subsidising childcare providers if they did not raise their fees.

But creches said their costs had risen while Government subsidies had not and that this had put them under pressure.

The Taoiseach said in 2024 there was a five-year high of 357 new services opening and 131 closing; he said the latest data showed 372 providers had opened as of November 2025, with 122 closing, a net increase of 250.

He said there had been “substantial” progress on childcare for the last four to five years.

Childcare costs have become a political topic in recent years due to issues with access and high costs, with fees often compared to a second mortgage.

During the general election, Sinn Féin pitched a 10-euro-a-day per child plan, while Labour, the Social Democrats and the Green Party pledged to introduce a public childcare sector, capping costs at various rates.

With reporting from Press Association