Fine Gael TD Emer Currie has said the government are committed to improving childcare in Ireland.
The government published a report “Shaping the Future: Early Years Action Plan” which outlines actions should be taken in 2026.
Currie said “access to childcare that can be relied upon, for a fair cost has been a stressful issue for parents and families in Dublin West for too long.”
She said that the Phase of the plan is “ambitious,” but will reform how childcare is delivered.
Childcare costs for lower income families will reduce through an increase in the lower income threshold from €26,000 to €34,000, while the upper income threshold will be increased from €60,000 to €68,000. The multiple child deduction will be increased to €5,500 for 2 children and €11,000 for 3 or more children.
These changes will benefit almost 47,000 thousand families in Dublin West, per Currie.
“For parents who have found it hard to find a childcare place for their child, supply of places will be increased through investment in State-led provision as well as co-funding the expansion of existing providers,” she said.
She added “it’s also very important that staff in our childcare facilities feel the important work they do is properly valued, which is why I’m also pleased to see that ring-fenced funding of up to €15million will be provided from September 2026 (or up to €45million over a full programme year) to help providers improve staff wages, supporting staff recruitment and retention.”
The Dublin West TD said “this action plan will have an immediate impact on affordability of early learning and care with new, lower maximum fee changes for families paying the highest prices and higher subsidies for lower income families.”
“Plans for the next phase of actions are already underway with a broad public consultation to take place in the first half of 2026 and I would urge all childcare and early years providers in Dublin West to engage with that, so we can continue to deliver real reform that will change that can and will improve the lives of families and service providers throughout the country”, she said.