Kildare Families Forced To Travel Hours For Child Care Place As Fees Rise

Friday, 7 March 2025 11:55

By Martin Osborne

Kildare North TD Aidan Farrelly of the Social Democrats said the approval of fee hikes does not come as a surprise.

Some Kildare families are travelling hours every day to ensure their child has a place in a creche.

Nearly one in five childcare providers in Ireland have been granted state approval to raise their fees, with Kildare families among those feeling the impact.

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request by The Journal Investigates reveal that over 1,100 of the country’s 4,600 childcare services applied for permission to increase fees in 2024, with approximately 850 receiving approval.

This comes despite the government’s Programme for Government pledge to progressively reduce childcare costs to €200 per month.

Kildare North TD Aidan Farrelly of the Social Democrats said the approval of fee hikes does not come as a surprise, criticising the government for failing to outline how it will meet its affordability targets.

He highlighted accessibility issues in Kildare, noting that some families must travel over an hour each way to secure a childcare place.

Kildare South Labour TD Mark Wall also condemned the increases, calling them “a blow to working families".

Kfm recently spoke to Elaine Dunne, chairperson of the Federation of Early Childhood Providers.

She argued that creches stuck in historical fee freezes should be allowed a fee increase.

She said some childcare services taking part in the Government's Core Funding scheme may be forced out of business "due to this historical issue".

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