Green Party reforms will deliver public model of childcare

• Green Party Leader announces new plan as further 25% cut in average childcare fees comes into effect from next Monday
• A new fee cap will also be introduced from September 2025, bringing above-average fees down towards the national average

Green Party Leader Minister Roderic O’Gorman announced that the next increase in National Childcare Scheme (NCS) subsidies will commence from Monday September 2nd. From Monday, the minimum hourly subsidy under the NCS will increase by 53% - from €1.40 to €2.14.

Next Monday’s subsidy increase will result in total cost reductions of up to €96.30 weekly, or over €5,000 annually, for each child.

Coupled with the same increase that went into effect in January last year, the NCS universal subsidy has risen from 50c per hour to €2.14 per hour.

Speaking from Magic Years Créche in Dublin West, Minister O'Gorman said;

“From next Monday, parents will again see substantial reductions in their childcare costs, building on the reductions put in place last year. From next year, we will tackle costs by implementing a new fee cap to lower above-average fees to a set maximum. Both of these measures are possible due to the success of core funding.

“As Minister, I’ve driven forward an ambitions reform programme over the last four years – dramatically cut fees, raised the pay of Early Years professionals, invested considerable new money directly into services and created new targeted schemes to ensure a level playing field for all children.

“But to really value and deliver Early Years Education and Care as a public good, accessible to all, we have to go much further. Thanks to the reforms the Green Party in government has put in place, with the right investment we can do this. We need to give every child in Ireland a guaranteed right to an ECCE place, no matter where they live. To do this the State must begin to deliver Early Years Education as a public provider, alongside private services working in partnership with the State. Key to this will be new measures in pay and employment conditions for Early Years Educators to increase quality, and drive recruitment and expansion of services.

“This is not something that can happen overnight, but thanks to the reform programme of the last four years, it’s now possible. And it’s something the Green Party will commit to at the next election – to finish the work we’ve started."