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‘Extra places of little use to parents who can’t afford the fees’ – criticism as budget falls short on €200-a-month childcare pledge

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 21h

#Budget2026 represents a missed opportunity to build an Early Years and School Age Care system that meets the needs of families, the workforce, providers, and most importantly, children.

Read more from our CEO, Teresa Heeney, in today's @Independent_ie 👇

The lack of measures in Budget 2026 to tackle the huge costs facing parents for childcare has been roundly criticised.

Government slammed for lack of childcare measures after election promises

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 22h

It was announced that 2,300 new Early Years places will be created in #Budget2026. While this is welcome, it does not begin to address the current capacity needs as up to 40,000 children remain on waiting lists nationwide.

Read more in @thejournal_ie 🗞️
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Opposition and childcare services organisations said that measures outlined today will not make a dent when it comes to tackling systemic childcare issues.

www.thejournal.ie

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 1d

"While we welcome the additional Early Years places announced today, this will barely make a dent in the current waiting lists."

📣 Read our #Budget2026 reaction.

buff.ly/R2aC3WI

Early Years and School Age Care left behind in Budget 2026 – Early Childhood Ireland - Early Childhood Ireland

Following today’s Budget 2026 announcement, Early Childhood Ireland has voiced concern over the lack of meaningful investment in EY and SAC.

www.earlychildhoodireland.ie

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Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 1d

#Budget2026 is soon to be announced, and we hope to see a clear commitment to improving access to Early Years and School Age Care for the tens of thousands of children on waiting lists for a place.

Without staff, plans to increase capacity simply won’t be feasible.

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Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 1d

Our CEO, Teresa Heeney, and our Policy and Media team are at Buswells Hotel to hear if #Budget2026 will deliver on the government’s promise to children.

Learn more about our 1️⃣ ask.
buff.ly/Se6UkQm

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Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 2d

#Budget2026 will be announced tomorrow, and we have only 1️⃣ ask: Bring Early Years and School Age care graduates under public sector pay and conditions.

This would be transformative for educators, families, settings, and children.

Read more: buff.ly/Se6UkQm

'Unless pay issues are addressed, early years settings in Cork will lose more staff'

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 5d

Every child deserves the best start in life, yet staff shortages in Early Years and School Age Care settings result in children missing out on high-quality care and education.

Read our solution in today's @echolive.bsky.social 🗞️

Without investment in Early Years, Cork children will pay the price, says Frances Byrne, Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 5d

Equal Start is a model of government-funded supports to ensure children experiencing disadvantage can access and participate in Early Years and School Age Care.

Read what we learned from our members about year 1 and what to expect as it enters year 2 🔎: buff.ly/axbfBHO

Poor staff retention leads to childcare waiting lists in rural areas

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 6d

Our CEO, Teresa Heeney (@teeheeney.bsky.social), spoke with the Irish Farmers Journal about how meaningful investment in the Early Years and School Age Care workforce in #Budget2026 would go a long way in ensuring every child has access to services in their community.

Learn more 📰

Staff retention is stifling expansion of the childcare sector, with calls for graduates to have pay parity with primary school teachers. This is in a bid to increase places amid rising waiting lists.

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 6d

Tune in to our 🆕 podcast where our Director of Policy, Frances Byrne (@fraffieb.bsky.social), explains why guaranteeing pay parity for Early Years and School Age Care graduates would be transformative for the system.

Sponsored by Arachas Insurance
🎧 👉 buff.ly/Ng9x4GX

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 7d

Early childhood is a critical period for supporting each child’s curiosity, resilience, creativity, confidence, and potential.

At Early Childhood Ireland, we champion high-quality Early Years and School Age Care, always placing the child at the centre of our work.

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 8d

📣 We are recruiting a Policy Engagement Manager to join our Policy, Advocacy and Campaigning.

Apply today and help make a significant change for children, settings and the Early Years and School Age Care system in Ireland.

👉 buff.ly/SDtQ2cl

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Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 9d

We were delighted to attend the International LINC Conference on Saturday for an inspiring day focused on inclusion in Early Years.

There was a range of workshops, including an outdoor sensory workshop led by our Early Childhood Specialist, Lorraine Diggins. 🌱

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 10d

High-quality Early Years and School Age Care is essential for children's well-being and development of cognitive, emotional and social abilities.

We analyse the latest @oecd-ocde.bsky.social Education at a Glance report in this week's Policy in Focus 🔎
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Valuing Childhood, with Wendy Lee - Early Childhood Ireland's Podcast

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 12d

Our CEO, Teresa Heeney, was pleased to meet with Minister Norma Foley this week for a constructive pre-Budget discussion, including our call for pay parity between Early Years and School Age Care graduates and primary school teachers.

#Budget2026

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Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 15d

We’re marking a big milestone — our 100th podcast episode! 🎉

In this special edition, we are joined by Wendy Lee from New Zealand’s Educational Leadership Project to discuss the importance of relationships in #EarlyYears education.

Sponsored Arachas Insurance.

In a very special episode, to mark the very special milestone of our 100 episode, we were delighted to have a wide-ranging conversation with Wendy Lee. Wendy is the Director of the Educational…

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 17d

Weekend read 📖

A new report by @thenfer.bsky.social highlights the urgent need to create working conditions that mirror the importance and value of #EarlyYears educators.

Learn more 🔎: buff.ly/gN9ysEj

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Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 19d

Child Safeguarding is about protecting the child from harm, promoting their welfare and fostering an environment where they can grow and reach their full potential.

Discover the 5️⃣ Rs of Child Safeguarding
buff.ly/2pY0gak

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 20d

Staff recruitment and retention issues are big obstacles to children’s access to Early Years and School Age Care.

In this week's #BudgetThursday, our Director of Policy, Frances Byrne (@fraffieb.bsky.social), reflects on how pay parity with teachers would alleviate capacity issues.

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Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 20d

This week is Children First Awareness week, highlighting our shared duty to safeguard children.

At Early Childhood Ireland we priortise Child Safeguarding in Early Years and School Age Care settings. Learn how we can all help to protect children. 👇
buff.ly/2pY0gak

Urgent action needed to address staff shortages in early learning, says industry body

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 21d

New data from the @esri.ie revealed that 1-in-5 children are living below the poverty line.

This week in Policy in Action, we look at calls for government action to lift children out of poverty and new research by the Children's Rights Alliance.

🎬 👉 buff.ly/A6o2E9v

Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 21d

As the Dáil reconvenes and Budget Day approaches, we call on the Government to reignite its commitment to Early Years and School Age Care.

Our 1️⃣ ask: bring graduates under the same public pay and conditions as teachers.

Read more
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Early Childhood Ireland @earlychildhoodireland.ie · 22d

Early Years and School Age Care professionals play a crucial role in children's early learning and development, yet their pay and conditions tell a completely different story.

Read about our call for pay parity in the @irishtimes.com 👇

Early Childhood Ireland calls for ‘significant investment’ in sector via Budget 2026