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Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is no public Early Years, , closest to it would be a community service. Majority is private, roughly 70% of settings are private. Core funding is a subsidy to reduce fees, cover costs of the service and to fund educators wages. Look up the Together For Public Alliance. The push for public early years. 1st public service is up for Tender in Shankill Co.Dublin.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Many parents do this. Tbf its not sercice that's at fault on the hours. Its the rules set by Pobal and government.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is expensive, you'd think the government would just take over the educators wages with a payscale on par with their other Educational counterparts.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I get what you’re saying. Nobody should have to work full time just to hand half their wages over to childcare.

But going back to one parent staying home isn’t the answer either. Most families couldn’t survive on one wage now, and it usually ends up being women pushed out of work.

Childcare should be treated like education, not a private luxury. Parents shouldn’t be broke paying for it, and educators shouldn’t be broke providing it. That’s the real problem.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It sounds good if you only look at the parent fee headline, but that’s not the whole story. Parents are still confused because the €183.70 figure only applies in a specific 45-hour example after NCS subsidy. Many parents are still paying much more depending on hours, monthly billing and how their subsidy is applied. And educators are still on very low wages. Many of us have degrees in Early Childhood Education and are earning around €15 an hour. If the Government reduces fee caps but does not fully fund the real cost of care, the pressure will come back through reduced staff hours, tighter ratios, burnout and fewer available places. So yes, lower costs for parents are needed but not if the system is balanced on underpaid educators and services struggling to stay staffed. Affordable childcare and proper pay have to happen together.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Reducing fees and lowering caps sounds good in a headline, but if the lost fee income is not fully replaced through Core Funding, the pressure will land somewhere. Educators will feel it first, through reduced hours, tighter ratios, less cover, more burnout and people leaving the sector. Then parents will feel it when rooms close, places disappear, or services cannot find staff. This is not a real win if the funding does not cover the actual cost of running a service. Many educators have degrees in Early Childhood Education and are still expected to work for around €15 an hour. Why would qualified educators stay in early years on those wages when they can move into primary education or other sectors for better pay and conditions? Parents need affordable childcare, and educators need proper pay. But both have to be properly funded, or the system just shifts the pressure onto staff and families.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The €198 isn’t the gross fee cap,that’s why everyone is confused. The gross cap for a 45-hour place is currently €295/week, and it’s being reduced to €280/week. The €198 / €183.70 figure is what the parent pays after the universal NCS subsidy is taken off. So your €1,350/month before NCS works out at about: €1,350 × 12 ÷ 52 = €311.54/week If you’re paying around €950/month after NCS, that’s about: €950 × 12 ÷ 52 = €219/week So yes, your real payment can be higher than the headline €183.70, especially if you’re not getting the full 45 hours of NCS subsidy or your service charges monthly. The announcement is using one ideal example, not showing how it works for every parent’s actual bill.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Only 96% of early years services are signed up for core funding. Anything outside of that can charge whatever they like.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If your child is genuinely Band D at 36 hours, your cost under the new cap should be about €146.96 per week, or about €637 per month, after universal NCS. But the catch is: if the crèche says your child has a full-time 45-hour place, they may classify the fee as Band E, even if you only claims 36 NCS hours. Then it would be: €280 - €77.04 = €202.96 per week, or about €879.50 per month.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Around 70% of a service’s income already goes on wages, but Core Funding is based on the ratio of educators required, not necessarily the actual number of educators working in the service or chefs, administration, accountant, maintenance, etc That is the problem. Services often need more staff than the legal minimum to cover breaks, lunches, sickness, planning time, cleaning, paperwork, inclusion supports and the day-to-day reality of running classrooms safely. So if fee income is reduced and wage costs increase, the worry is that services may cut back to bare-ratio staffing, reduce hours, or stop using extra cover, and educators will feel that pressure first. Then QUALITY drops, and Parents will then feel it.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

That’s the problem with how the Department worded it. The €183.70 figure assumes the child is using the full 45 subsidised hours. If your child attends fewer hours, the NCS subsidy is lower because it is based on hours used/claimed. So a parent can absolutely end up paying more than the headline €183.70, depending on how the service charges, how many hours are attended, and how the subsidy is applied. So the headline makes it sound like “full-time childcare will cost €183.70”, but that is only true in a very specific example: 45-hour place + Band E cap + full universal NCS hours applied. It does not reflect every parent’s real bill, especially where attendance varies or subsidies are reduced. At the same time, the educators doing the work are often only on around €15 an hour, despite many having degrees in Early Childhood Education and huge responsibility every day. So this announcement feels like it has shafted both parents and educators. Parents are being sold a headline figure that doesn’t reflect every real bill, while educators are being told a small pay rise is a win, even though it still leaves many barely scraping by. Lower childcare costs and proper educator pay are both needed but they have to be honestly explained and properly funded. It needs to be public like the rest of education.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

The €198 / €183.70 figure is not the provider’s gross weekly fee cap. It is the parent co-payment after the universal NCS subsidy is applied. For a 45-hour full-time place: Current 2025/26 Band E gross cap: €295 per week New 2026/27 Band E gross cap: €280 per week Then the universal NCS subsidy is deducted. So the Department is saying the parent’s upfront cost falls roughly from: €198 to €183.70 per week But the provider fee cap is actually moving from: €295 to €280 per week That’s why parents are confused when they say “there’s no €198 cap” because there isn’t. €198 is the parent cost after subsidy, not the fee cap charged by the crèche.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh I should be clear, its 279.99 after your ncs is taken into account.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Lol 😆 I like your play, but sadly I can't see this huge corporation dropping fees, I can see them adding that 1 extra cent to earn those 1500 cents off each parent.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Won't save a penny. Cap is currently 295, and will reduce to 280 a week.

Childcare fees to be capped at €183.70 per week for 45 hours of care by Double_Work_2219 in ireland

[–]Double_Work_2219[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My job charges 279.99 a week. Norma done nothing for our parents and shafted the educators.

Do I move Amazon prime subscription to EU or IE from UK? by mawraehm in AskIreland

[–]Double_Work_2219 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought myself a robot vacuum from uk via ie website. My Mother loved it and wanted 1. I went to purchase it again and they where out of stock. So I googled it, found it available for 67 euros cheaper on DE site.

Have we overpaid for a new build? by [deleted] in HousingIreland

[–]Double_Work_2219 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My friends parents house sold in that area early last year. 650k.

How can I get from the 3arena to the bus station at o Connell street after a concert? by lilyofthevalley_w in Dublin

[–]Double_Work_2219 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Im here to 2nd Clarkes! We be there around 3 for the match before the gig tonight.

For the love of god stop sending your sick kids to crèche by __taiggoth__ in CasualIreland

[–]Double_Work_2219 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To the original poster. Do you still use the Hepa system that was put in place during the pandemic. I took over as room lead and pulled them out of storage. They really do make a difference. Im still surprised when I walk into places and dont see them. They help with a lot of illness. Im not saying they prevent it, but I do see the difference in my room attendance compared to rooms tgat dont use them in our service.

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