The level of childcare services has not kept pace with increased demand, with a new report showing a 31% fall in the total number of vacant childcare places.
The 'Early Years Sector Profile Report 2017/2018' shows an estimated 202,600 children attending early years services nationwide - an increase of 9%.
Total capacity within the sector grew by approximately 6% and according to the report: "While the number of children grew across all age cohorts, the largest year-on-year increases were observed for children aged 5 years and over (20%). Children aged 3 to 5 years were the largest age group amongst those enrolled, representing 59% of all children enrolled.
"The number of vacant places continues to fall, having declined from an estimated 15,892 to 11,021 since 2016/17. This represents a contraction of 4,871 in the number of available places (31%).
"Conversely, for the first time in the last three years, there has been a decline (12%) in the estimated number of children on waiting lists.
"The overall estimated capacity increased by 6% to 213,654, however this growth in supply is lower than the increase in demand as the number of children attending has grown by 9%. The vacancy rate (number of vacant places as a percentage of children enrolled) decreased from 9% last year to 5% in 2017/18."
The average number of children per facility, in services that completed the survey, was 44, the same as in the previous year. Just under one-third of those utilising childcare places are in the community sector with the remainder in private services.
According to the report, which is based on responses from 3,928 childcare services (88% of childcare facilities), the average weekly fee for full day care is €177.92. That marks an increase of €3.76 or 2.2% on last year and according to the report: "This is the second consecutive year of noticeable fee increases after several years of fee stagnation."
The estimated number of Traveller children attending early years services increased by 8% while 75% of services cater for at least one child with additional needs and 65% of services have at least one child with a diagnosed disability attending. The report also noted an increase of 8% in staff numbers on the figure for the previous year and an overall rise in the level of highest qualifications among that workforce.
In the foreword, Minister for Children Katherine Zappone wrote how this year every child up to the age of six years has had access to a Government childcare subsidy via universal or targeted programmes and she later referred to "a period of transformative change in the Early Learning and Care sector in Ireland.
"The new subsidies we introduced last year have stabilised the cost of childcare, which has only grown by 2% this year and the new Affordable Childcare Scheme will launch in late 2019," she said.
Read more on the report here
