Cork is grappling with a severe shortage of crèche places, with 2,768 children under the age of three currently on waiting lists, according to recent data. Early Childhood Ireland suggests that treating crèches and their staff with the same importance as schools could help address many of the sector’s issues.
The latest figures show there are only 344 crèche places available across Cork, leaving a deficit of up to 2,424 spots. This data, provided by Pobal, highlights that waiting lists are not used by all services and individual children may be listed at multiple crèches.
The breakdown of the waiting list is concerning:
Children under one year old: 534 on waiting lists with only 17 available places, a shortfall of 517.
Children aged one to two years: 1,124 on waiting lists with just 36 places available, a deficit of 1,088.
Children aged two to three years: 1,110 on waiting lists with 291 available places, a shortage of 819.
Frances Byrne, Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland, told The Echo that the sector faces different challenges in rural and urban areas. In rural areas, smaller services are often not profitable, forcing families to travel farther for childcare. In urban areas, the demand for crèche places is not keeping up with population growth. While planning laws mandate crèches alongside new housing developments, Byrne emphasized the need for better collaboration between agencies.
Byrne advocates for elevating early years education to the same status as primary education. “The current and future government must prioritize raising early years education to the level of primary education,” she said. This approach has already been implemented in other countries, she noted.
In its pre-budget submission, Early Childhood Ireland has called for a timeline to align the pay and conditions of Early Years and School Age Care graduates with those of public sector teachers. Byrne explained that the main challenge for their 366 member settings in Cork is recruiting and retaining staff. Despite having similar qualifications to teachers, early years graduates often earn less than half of what teachers make. This discrepancy, including issues with maternity pay and pensions, creates a gap between the public and private sectors.
Providing equal pay and benefits would help attract and retain staff, according to Byrne. “If the government could set a date, even if it’s three or four years away, it would be transformative for our members,” she said.
Byrne also emphasized the need for better planning. The Department of Education tracks birth rates to plan for school places but similar foresight is lacking in the crèche sector. This gap results in high fees, long waiting lists, and immense pressure on parents, providers, and staff. “Staff are finding it difficult to envision a career in this sector despite their passion,” Byrne added.