Cllr. Ciarán Ahern, General Election Candidate in Dublin South-West, spoke at the Labour Party’s launch of a comprehensive plan to introduce a publicly provided childcare system. Across the country, parents are struggling to access affordable, reliable childcare.
Cllr. Ahern said ”Under the current government, parents in Dublin Soth-West and beyond are often paying between €700-€800 monthly per child on care— for many parents, this is simply unsustainable. Labour is leading the charge to make high-quality childcare a right, not a privilege, and to move away from the profit-driven model that dominates the sector.
“That’s why two years ago, Labour proposed a monthly cap on childcare costs of €200 per child, the equivalent of €50 per week or €10 per day. We are glad to see other parties finally catching up with us and the crisis in the childcare sector. “In Dublin South-West and nationwide, parents are crying out for a childcare system that works for them and their families, not against them. Yet, most of the nearly €1.4 billion in public funding given to childcare is channelled into private, for-profit healthcare services. Families are paying dearly for what should be a public service. This must change. It’s time we recognised that childcare is a basic service, and we should be investing in it as such.
“Labour’s vision is to offer 6,000 new public childcare places each year, supported by 100 new services annually and employing around 11 staff members per service. That’s a total of 30,000 new places over five years. For families in Dublin South-West, this would mean relief from the costly and often stressful hunt for quality care. Labour will invest approximately €53 million per year, with operational costs projected to rise to €300 million over five years to make this vision a reality.
“Childcare staff are the backbone of this sector. We need to support the dedicated, skilled professionals who are caring for our children and fostering their early development. A well-funded public system will allow us to keep talented educators in the field, ensuring stability for children and families. Labour’s plan seeks to address this by providing educators and carers with fair pay and resources.
Labour is proposing a transformative approach that also includes a long-term vision for an agency dedicated to early years education and school-age care. Cllr. Ahern added,
“Labour’s public childcare plan will eventually shift responsibility to a new national agency, ensuring continuous development and investment in public childcare facilities. With a minimum of €70 million annually earmarked for a capital building programme, we’ll work to co-locate these new services with existing schools wherever possible, creating a robust system that meets families’ needs here and across Ireland.”
Labour believes in a society that values care, and this includes ensuring every child has access to early years education on par with our European counterparts.
As Cllr. Ahern concluded, “It’s time we treated childcare as an essential public service. Labour’s plan will provide families in Dublin South-West with the stability, quality, and affordability they deserve. This must be a key mission for the next government. Labour is committed to making it a reality.”
