Just 201 childcare settings operate in the county.
There are 9,731 childcare places available in Co. Kildare.
That's according to Children's Minister, Roderic O'Gorman, responding to Kildare North Social Democrat TD, Catherine Murphy.
The Minister also confirmed that there are 201 registered childcare providers in the county.
That figure, however, follows the closure of 13 such centres in Kildare, notified to Tusla between January and September.
Parents in many parts of Kildare, most notably the north of the county, report significant difficulty in security childcare places.
Minister O'Gorman says, of capacity, nationwide "The supply of, and demand for, ELC and SAC places is currently monitored annually through the Early Years Sector Profile report. This survey is conducted by Pobal on behalf of my Department. Data from the 2018/2019 programme year, indicates that existing childcare provision, in general, meets current demand nationwide in terms of capacity, whilst recognising that small pockets of under supply may exist within this."
| County | Number of Providers |
|---|---|
| Carlow | 54 |
| Cavan | 67 |
| Clare | 138 |
| Cork City | 96 |
| Cork County | 388 |
| Donegal | 154 |
| Dublin-Dublin City | 445 |
| Dublin-Dun-Laoghaire-Rathdown | 185 |
| Dublin –Fingal | 326 |
| Dublin- South Dublin | 255 |
| Galway | 288 |
| Kerry | 138 |
| Kildare | 201 |
| Kilkenny | 100 |
| Laois | 85 |
| Leitrim | 37 |
| Limerick | 201 |
| Longford | 36 |
| Louth | 120 |
| Mayo | 136 |
| Meath | 196 |
| Monaghan | 61 |
| Offaly | 71 |
| Roscommon | 58 |
| Sligo | 76 |
| Tipperary | 180 |
| Waterford | 95 |
| Westmeath | 89 |
| Wexford | 146 |
| Wicklow | 176 |
| County | Current capacity per county (enrolled and vacant places) |
|---|---|
| Carlow | 2608 |
| Cavan | 3536 |
| Clare | 4798 |
| Cork City | 4435 |
| Cork County | 16411 |
| Donegal | 7859 |
| Dublin-Dublin City | 16732 |
| Dublin-Dun-Laoghaire-Rathdown | 7196 |
| Dublin –Fingal | 11678 |
| Dublin- South Dublin | 9742 |
| Galway | 11428 |
| Kerry | 5792 |
| Kildare | 9731 |
| Kilkenny | 4033 |
| Laois | 3540 |
| Leitrim | 1654 |
| Limerick | 7920 |
| Longford | 1787 |
| Louth | 5164 |
| Mayo | 4500 |
| Meath | 7976 |
| Monaghan | 4068 |
| Offaly | 2979 |
| Roscommon | 2843 |
| Sligo | 3687 |
| Tipperary | 7207 |
| Waterford | 4723 |
| Westmeath | 3835 |
| Wexford | 5994 |
| Wicklow | 4849 |

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