Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 January 2026
166. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the specific measures being undertaken to address the challenges being faced by parents in County Louth to find early learning and childcare places for children aged one to three years-of-age; the engagement which have taken place with Louth County Childcare Committee regarding these challenges; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6679/26]
View answerImproving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government.
Enrolments in early learning and childcare have increased by 25% in the last three years but some families have challenges finding the type of provision that they would prefer, particularly in the case of younger children.
The Department is currently supporting the expansion of capacity through the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme, designed to increase capacity in the 1–3-year-old (pre–ECCE) age range for full day care. The scheme provides for Core Funding Partner Services to extend their existing premises or, in the case of community services, to construct or purchase new premises. It is expected that up to 1,500 full time ELC places will be delivered in areas of identified undersupply.
A further round of Building Blocks will open for applications this year which will focus on funding extensions to existing early learning and childcare services, details of which will be announced shortly.
Additionally, €135 million in capital investment has been made available under the National Development Plan between 2026 and 2030 to deliver State-led services which will support high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare. Investment will be focused on areas and provision types of greatest need, particularly full-day places for younger children, and in rural and disadvantaged areas.
The Department is now beginning to assess sites/buildings with the help of the forward planning model in order to identify which are best placed to deliver on the goals of the programme.
The forward planning model maps publicly-subsidised provision by service type and age group of children against the numbers of children in the corresponding age bracket in the local area and allows for granular and specific analysis to be undertaken about alignment of supply and demand.
In addition to the forward planning model, a suite of other appraisal tools have been developed to inform the selection of projects in alignment with the programme objectives.
Up to eight capital projects will be selected under the programme in 2026. No final decisions have yet been made on the specific projects but I look forward to sharing details of projects as they are agreed.
Local City and County Childcare Committees will be supporting the development of projects. Officials have engaged with CCC managers from all local authority areas are also in discussions with local authorities and State agencies about the potential projects.
