New national analysis of childcare services shows sharp increase in
children availing of free pre-school year
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown has highest childcare costs, with Monaghan the
lowest
Wednesday 7th December, 2016
A new report which provides an overview of the 4,300 facilities providing
childcare services across Ireland shows that between September 2015 and
June 2016, 73,964 children enrolled in the Early Childhood Care and
Education (ECCE) free preschool year. This represents an increase of 13% on
the previous year and increased expenditure on the scheme by 28%, up to
€178 million.
Other findings in the report show that Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown had highest
childcare costs in the State with a weekly average fee of €213.94 for a
full-time place, while Co Monaghan was the least expensive with a weekly
rate of €142.14. The national average is €167.03 per week.
The report was compiled and prepared by Pobal and launched by Katherine
Zappone, TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs
Some of the other key findings in the report include:
· Attendance: An estimated 171,200 children were enrolled in early
years services in April 2016
· Programme enrollment: A total of 104,441 children availed of at least
one of the three Government early years programmes. An 8% increase on
the previous year.
· Fees: The average cost of a full-time place was €167.03 per week,
€0.16c less than in 2014/2015. The average cost of a part-time place
was €99.18 per week.
· Staff: It is estimated that 25,700 staff work in the childcare
sector, half of which are employed on a part-time basis.
· Disability: Almost half (48%) of services reported having at least
one child with a diagnosed disability attending their service,
Speaking about the report, Minister Zappone said;
"The publication of this information is particularly timely. At the moment,
the sector is undergoing a period of significant policy change and
development. It is vital that these changes are underpinned by accurate,
reliable information.
The information contained in this report will help my Department’s policy
development so that we can meet the goal of providing affordable, quality
and accessible childcare for all.
A major aspect of achieving this is the development of a new Single
Affordable Childcare Scheme which will replace some of the existing
programmes. The data in this report will help inform the roll out of this
new scheme.
To supplement the report, Pobal have developed a range of interactive
dashboards. These dashboards reflect a range of topics covered in the
report and allow readers, for the first time, access data and information
at county level based on the following topics.
Fees l children by age l children by service type l qualifications
Pobal CEO, Denis Leamy said;
“Pobal works closely with the DCYA in the administration of early years
schemes. This report provides a robust overview of the early years
facilities nationally, as well as highlighting many of the challenges and
opportunities facing the sector.
Pobal looks forward to continuing our relationship with DCYA and supporting
some of the exciting upcoming developments planned for the sector.”
The report is entitled “Early Years, Sector Profile 2015-2016.” The results
in the survey were compiled from responses from 3,429 early years providers
and supplemented by data supplied through the Programme Implementation
Platform (PIP). PIP is an online data and reporting system used to support
childcare programmes.
For a full copy of the report go to www.pobal.ie
Note to the editor
Pobal is a not-for-profit company that manages programmes on behalf of the
Irish Government and the EU.