Attention Women of Ireland - €550 for All: Fair Childcare Fees for Families in Ireland Budget 2027

We call on the Government to review the childcare fee changes announced in Budget 2027 to ensure that all families, including those using Band F creches, benefit from fair and meaningful reductions in childcare costs.

The Government has promoted a reduction in the maximum monthly childcare cost from €735 to €550, representing a potential saving of €185 per month per child. However, this headline figure does not reflect the reality for families using Band F services providing 50 hours or more of childcare per week.

The proposed reduction in the Band F weekly fee cap from €336 to €300 represents a different level of support. Families requiring full-time childcare should not be disadvantaged simply because they need longer hours of care to accommodate their employment and family commitments.

The Government must demonstrate that it adequately assessed the impact of these changes before announcing them. Parents deserve transparency about how many families will benefit from the €550 cap, how many will continue to face higher costs, and the financial and practical consequences for families, childcare providers and access to full-time childcare.

The role of Core Funding must also be addressed. Not all childcare providers participate in the Core Funding scheme, meaning that families' access to affordable childcare may depend partly on whether their chosen provider subscribes to it. A childcare affordability policy cannot deliver equitable outcomes if the level of support available to families varies according to their provider's participation in a funding scheme. The Government should clarify how the new fee caps interact with Core Funding, how families using non-participating providers will be affected, and what measures will ensure that all families can access meaningful reductions in childcare costs.

Affordable childcare is essential to women's equal participation in employment. When childcare costs make working financially unviable, women may be forced to reduce their hours, turn down opportunities or leave the workforce.

Access to affordable childcare must also be equitable across all counties in Ireland. Families should not be disadvantaged by where they live, the availability of local services or the fee band of their creche.

Equally, every child deserves an equitable opportunity to access high-quality early childhood education and care, regardless of family income, location or the number of hours their parents need to work.

We call on the Government to:

2. Assess the wider impact of these changes on full-time childcare availability, provider sustainability, women's employment and children's access to early education.

3. Ensure equitable access across all counties, so that affordable childcare and opportunities for women and children do not depend on geography or family circumstances.

4. Consult parents and childcare providers and review the policy to ensure that its actual outcomes deliver the promised affordability improvements.

5. Ensure fairness regardless of Core Funding participation, clarifying how the fee caps apply to providers inside and outside the scheme and ensuring that families are not disadvantaged because their chosen childcare provider does not participate.

A headline figure is not enough. Childcare reform must reflect the real costs families face and the different levels of support they receive.

We call for a transparent, evidence-based and equitable childcare funding system that enables women to participate fully in employment and gives every child the opportunity to benefit from high-quality early childhood education and care.