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Twinkles in a minister’s eye Few would deny that money devoted to early childcare and parental support is well spent. Studies by the OECD have found that Irish child-minding costs inhibit participation by mothers in the workforce and contribute to

Potential plans to allow mothers double the amount of paid leave they receive after having a baby, and to receive extra weeks off if they split the time at home with their partner, will only improve child services if they

Direct subsidies would improve affordability and improve services, high-level body to be told Parents should not be given tax relief for childcare on the basis that this would do little to improve quality or assist less well-off families, a high-level

In the absence of subsidies, Irish childcare costs are among the world’s most expensive The high cost of childcare is creating immense problems for many Irish parents. It is causing stress, preventing parents from working and driving them into the

If cheap childcare is the answer, why aren’t French women working harder than Irish women, asks Sarah Carey This article and opinion piece appear in last week’s Sunday Independent and it got a really positive reaction from both parents and childcare providers

Little Vista, formerly crechecom,  a Dun Laoghaire-based software company that has created an app that is revolutionising how crèches and childcare facilities operate, is to create nine new jobs after closing a €700,000 investment round. Little Vista’s tablet-based technology helps

So, this morning we had a really fun radio slot on Classic Hits 4FM. We got on air to talk to Damien Farrelly and PJ Gallagher during their “You’re the Business” section in the morning about ChildcareFinder.ie. We spoke about how great

The high cost of childcare in Ireland is under the spotlight today, as figures from the OECD put our childcare costs as highest in the EU. Across the European Union, childcare costs around 12% of a family’s income, but in

After-school childcare plans to target struggling parents Hard-pressed parents are set to benefit from a plan to use schools to provide low-cost evening time childcare. Under proposals being prepared by the Government, primary schools would be kept open for two

A LIST is being compiled of State-owned land and buildings which could be sold or developed in partnership with the private sector to provide housing, schools and childcare facilities. The Government plans to draw on a massive landbank held by

Minster James Reilly was interviewed today on Newstalk about the new high-level group of civil servants which begins work today on a more integrated way to fund childcare in Ireland. Reporting back by summer The minister said that the group would

It requires nerves of steel, extraordinary courage and remarkable determination to have children in Ireland today. Despite all our self-congratulatory talk about family values and the like, we have somehow managed to create a very cold house indeed when it

Families forking out up to €2,000-a-month on crèches are being targeted by all parties as a group of voters whose voting intentions can be swayed by policies aimed at reducing the rising costs of childcare. But the Coalition plans to

There was a great piece in The Journal this week by Claire Micks about the Government’s reaction to our childcare crisis. Claire discussed this skilled exercise in political manoeuvring and describes their reaction as “An approach as predictable as it is unhelpful”.

You can never take any chances when it comes to your children. Drowning is a very real threat that deserves far more attention than it receives. Just one little mistake can have huge repercussions.  For this reason MailSports.co.uk have developed a

THE MINISTER FOR Health Leo Varadkar has said the cost of childcare will be an election issue. Speaking on RTE’s Claire Byrne Live, he said that the government “would not rule out” tax breaks for parents, but said there would

Children’s Minister James Reilly has ruled out tax breaks worth up to €5,000 a year for struggling families whose children are in crèches because it may only benefit the rich and be wiped out by linked increases in facility costs.

When young people first go online it can be difficult for them to figure out the boundary between what should go online and what should stay offline. February 10th 2015 sees the launch of Safer Internet Week, an EU initiative

Childcare Affordability was discussed on RTE’s morning Ireland today in Motherhubbards Childcare in Ongar. Teresa Heeney of Early Childhood Ireland was there. Karen McGovern, manager of Mother Hubbards in Ongar, Dublin and parents from her service are joined by Teresa

RTÉ’s Kathryn Thomas and the Operation Transformation team visited Grovelands Childcare in Tullamore recently to film how the staff, parents and children are taking on the challenge this year. The footage will feature on the show on Thursday, January 22.

BUSINESS GROUP IBEC has said today that any proposal to offer paid paternity leave to fathers in new legislation would result in a “disproportionate burden” for employers. Last night, Equality Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said he was confident that the

When choosing childcare parents are often overwhelmed by the amount of information available through various channels. It helps, before you go and see a childcare facility for your child, to have a list of things written down that you want