Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
803. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childminders who have completed the pre-registration course through the county and city childcare committees to date in 2026, by month, in tabular form. [45827/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe regulation of childminding services is critical to the safeguarding of children. The route to registration under the new regulations requires childminders to undertake pre-registration training, as well as meeting certain regulatory requirements including Garda vetting, proof of insurance, first aid certification and child safeguarding training.
The pre-registration training provides all the information that childminders need to understand what is required to apply to register, and explains the registration process.
Supports are available for childminders at local level through the City and County Childcare Committees. Each City and County Childcare Committee employs a Childminding Development Officer, who provides a range of supports to local childminders, including the short pre-registration training course.
As of end-April 2026, 773 childminders have completed the Pre-Registration Training. Of those, 231 completed the training in 2024, and 403 in 2025. The table below provides a breakdown of the number of childminders who have completed Pre-Registration Training per month in 2026:
|
Month |
No. of Childminders completed pre-registration training |
|
January |
32 |
|
February |
52 |
|
March |
38 |
|
April |
17 |
|
Total |
139 |
