Orlagh Doyle

THIS WEEK’S BUDGET announcement was, for many within Ireland’s Early Years sector, a profound disappointment.

While there are measures that will undoubtedly provide welcome support to families, we must also acknowledge the significant opportunity missed here to invest meaningfully in the workforce and infrastructure upon which our Early Years system depends.

There has understandably been considerable political emphasis on what the budget will mean for families and the financial benefit parents will receive. We should absolutely be pleased for the families who will genuinely benefit from these measures.

The political narrative surrounding the budget may create a positive impression for families, but this cannot replace the practical reality of families securing a place for their young child. A reduction in the cost of fees is of little practical benefit if a family cannot secure a place. And there will be no significant increase in available childcare places without meaningful investment in Early Years services.

Like many other providers, I cannot create additional places simply because demand exists. Expansion requires suitable premises, investment in infrastructure, appropriate staffing levels and sustainable funding. Above all, it requires a workforce that can be recruited and retained.

A sector let down

This is where the budget has left many within our profession disappointed.
We cannot continue to describe early childhood education and care as an essential service while failing to properly value the professionals who deliver it. At a minimum rate of €15 per hour, educators carry enormous responsibility for children’s learning, development, wellbeing and safety. They build relationships, support emotional development, nurture curiosity, create rich learning environments and work closely with families. Their role requires professional knowledge, judgment, patience, creativity and an exceptional level of commitment.

Yet many educators continue to struggle to see a sustainable future within the profession.
The consequences are already evident. Early Childhood Ireland has highlighted a staff turnover rate averaging 25% nationally, reaching 37% in some areas. These figures should concern us all. High staff turnover is not simply a workforce statistic. It means experienced educators leaving, services struggling to recruit, and children experiencing disruption to the secure and consistent relationships that are fundamental to high-quality early childhood education.

As an Early Years provider, I see first-hand the dedication, expertise and commitment of our educators every day. I see the relationships they develop with children, the trust they establish with families and the enormous care they bring to their work.

I also see the increasing challenge of ensuring that this commitment is matched by fair and sustainable remuneration.

Goodwill cannot compensate for inadequate pay. Passion cannot replace financial security. Providers like me cannot continually increase wages without appropriate government investment, particularly while facing rising employment, insurance, energy, food, maintenance and compliance costs. We cannot build a high-quality Early Years system on a workforce that we fail to properly value.

As providers, we also cannot be expected to create the additional Early Years capacity Ireland urgently needs without the financial certainty required to make that expansion possible.

If we genuinely want more places, we must invest in the services that provide them. If we want those services to be sustainable, we must invest in the people who work within them. The issues are undeniably interconnected.

Fairness to families

Parents deserve affordability. Children deserve safe, nurturing and high-quality environments. Educators deserve fair pay, professional recognition and sustainable careers. Providers need a funding model that enables them to deliver all three.

We should welcome the support that will reach families through this budget. But we must also look beyond the headlines and consider what families will actually experience on the ground.

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Will they be able to find a place? Will there be enough qualified educators to staff that place? Will the service providing it be financially sustainable? And will the educator caring for their child be fairly paid for the responsibility they carry?

These questions must form part of the national conversation. Affordability without availability is not a complete solution. A subsidised childcare place that a family cannot access is of little practical benefit. Budget 2027 was an opportunity to demonstrate that Early Years educators matter. It was an opportunity to move beyond recognition in speeches and provide meaningful investment in the people who carry such significant responsibility every day.

Our educators deserved better from this budget.

They deserve more than recognition. They deserve fair and sustainable pay, meaningful career opportunities and a system that recognises the professional value of their contribution. Our providers need the confidence and investment necessary to create the additional places families need. And ultimately, our children deserve a system that values the people who care for, educate and nurture them.

Affordability matters. Availability matters. Quality matters. And the people who deliver that quality matter. Our workforce needed more. And, most importantly, our children deserve better.

Orlagh Doyle is the Director of Carraig Briste Early Years, Killegney Early Years and Winston & Willows Early Years in County Wicklow.