The Tusla Early Years Inspectorate maintain the register of pre-school, school age and childminding services in line with the requirements under the Child Care Act 1991.
The registers are published a month in arrears, and the following table gives the most recently available data for Counties Westmeath and Longford to the end of April 2026.
|
Register of services
|
Longford
|
Westmeath
|
|
Number of registered pre-school services
|
35
|
68
|
|
Number of registered School Age services
|
35
22 (Combined service)
13 (Standalone service)
|
56
34 (Combined service)
22 (Standalone service)
|
|
Number of registered Childminding services
|
2
|
7
|
|
Total number of registered services
|
72
|
131
|
Each year, Pobal compiles data from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile. Data for the Early Years Sector Profile is typically captured in May/June of each programme year. While ELC and SAC offerings vary across service providers and the allocation of ELC or SAC places is flexible, the published capacity data provides an estimate of the number of children enrolled in ELC and SAC and the percentage of services with at least one vacant place at a given time.
The most recent published capacity data for the 2024/25 programme year estimated that there were 2,131 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services in County Longford and 5,185 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services in County Westmeath.
This data also indicated that 49% of services in County Longford had at least one vacant place and 40% had a waiting list. In County Westmeath, the data indicate that 40% of services had at least one vacant place and 46% had a waiting list.
As part of the early years sector profile survey, providers are asked the number of children on a waiting list for a place for their service. While this data can be used to give an indication of demand, it should not be used as a measure of overall demand for ELC or SAC places as it is vulnerable to overestimating the actual number of children requiring a place. An individual child may be on multiple waiting lists in different services and may remain on one or multiple service lists after taking up a place.
The table below summarises estimated enrolments, the percentage of services with at least one vacant place and the percentage of services with a waiting list in County Longford and County Westmeath by ELC and SAC.
|
County division
|
Estimated ELC Enrolments
|
% of ELC services with at least one vacant place
|
% of ELC services with a waiting list
|
Estimated SAC Enrolments
|
% of SAC services with at least one vacant place
|
% of SAC services with a waiting list
|
|
Longford
|
1,309
|
38%
|
45%
|
822
|
36%
|
32%
|
|
Westmeath
|
3,486
|
37%
|
46%
|
1,699
|
21%
|
49%
|
The Department continues to support the ongoing development and resourcing of Core Funding which has given rise to a significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced. Core Funding, which is in its fourth programme year, funds services based on the number of places available.
This provides stability to services, and reduces the risk associated with opening a new service or expanding an already existing service.
The Government is also supporting the expansion of capacity through capital funding. The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme is designed to increase capacity in the 1–3-year-old, pre–Early Childhood Care and Education, age range for full day care. Core Funding Partner Services could apply for capital funding to physically extend their premises or to construct or purchase new premises. The Scheme will deliver up to 1,500 full-day care places for 1- to 3-year-olds.
Following on from the success of the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme, a further Building Blocks scheme will open for applications in 2026. This round of capital funding will focus on funding extensions to existing premises to allow for increased numbers of children to be offered places on a full-time basis. Community and private providers who are currently Core Funding partner services will be eligible to apply for this scheme. Details can be found here: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/building-blocks-extension-scheme-phase-2/
Separately, I recently announced €135 million of capital investment over the coming five years for State-led services to provide high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare. The process will begin in 2026 with investment in buildings in what will be a ground-breaking initiative.
Up to eight buildings will be selected for investment this year. The State-led initiative will provide thousands of places up to 2030. No final decisions have yet been made on the specific projects, but I look forward to sharing details of projects as they are agreed.
