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“Parent Guilt is a much documented issue and is often described as “A Silent Epidemic”. It’s hard to avoid these days in the online world we live in.” Regina Graham is a Dublin mum of three and owner of Childcarefinder.ie

For the next few weeks, we will be plagued with knocks on the door as candidates try to persuade us to give them our votes. They will dazzle us with their mandates and promises for the future. One of the

By VICTORIA WHITE: €2 an hour for childcare puts parents on a wage of €2 an hour TWO euro an hour. That’s what a child is worth as the Coalition’s general election campaign kicks off in this centenary year of

January saw a huge increase in visitor numbers and visitor engagement on ChildcareFinder.ie, as parents start looking again for local childcare. If you own a creche, Montessori, afterschool or preschool service you can get listed and get found by local

A report calling for greater state subsidisation of childcare to relieve parents of the burden of an “extra mortgage” and to ensure the sector is sustainable for childcare providers has been broadly welcomed. The recommendation is one of 13 contained

Working conditions must be addressed before extending scheme, inquiry hears The Government’s plans to offer children a second year of free pre-school education should not go ahead before major problems with existing services are overcome, an Oireachtas inquiry has urged.

Odran Flynn of Newstalk takes an in-depth look at the proposals around Labour’s childcare promises So what’s it about? Could it work? The figures in detail…. read the article on the Newstalk website here

Tánaiste Joan Burton denies trying to ‘buy’ support with childcare cost cuts Tánaiste Joan Burton has denied opposition claims she is trying to buy back the support of “families you have failed” after new post-election plans to cut the cost

Early Childhood Ireland has said that Labour’s plan to subsidise childcare will cost more than the €500m proposed. The party has todaypromised to introduce €2-an-hour childcare if it is re-elected. The State-subsidised scheme would apply to children aged between nine

Photo: Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan Childcare costs would be cut to €2 an hour under a new scheme being promised by Labour if the party is returned to Government. Parents would be able to access a State-subsidised service for

Study finds no difference in cognitive abilities between those with parents and in childcare It makes no difference to a young child’s cognitive abilities whether they are looked after by their parents or sent to childcare, such as creches, according

Free childcare expansion scheme at risk, warn preschools Extended programme worth an average of €1,500 for the parents of young children Preschools have warned that most are not in a position to roll out Government plans to extend free childcare

Early Childhood Ireland survey on screen time usage amongst young children shows some worrying trends and lack of guidelines for parents A new survey (published today Monday 30th November on www.earlychildhoodireland.ie) of 332 parents from around the country regarding screen

Reaction from Teresa Heeney CEO of Early Childhood Ireland to IDG report published today entitled  ‘Supporting Access to Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme for Children with a Disability’:   “This plan and investment announced for children with additional

New regulations to include fresh inspection rules, says Minister for Children James Reilly   ll staff working with children in early years settings will be required to have a nationally recognised Level 5 qualification under new regulations to be published

There are growing concerns that parents will face a hike in the cost of crèche fees in the New Year. When Finance Minister Michael Noonan confirmed in last week’s Budget that the minimum wage would rise by 50c to €9.15,

Scheme to be expanded to two years from September reducing need to put off enrolment Parents who put off sending their children to preschool in September have been offered a chance to enrol them now – provided they can find

Examples of How Expansion of ECCE Scheme Will Work The following are examples taken from Early Childhood Ireland’s Briefing of Childcare Related Changed in Budget 2016. Expansion of ECCE (Free Pre-School) Early Childhood Ireland understand that: The ‘free pre-school year’ has been extended

Briefing for Childcare Providers From Budget 2016 as compiled by Early Childhood Ireland. Early Childhood Ireland has released their briefing on the main childcare related points of budget 2016. These article includes: Expansion of ECCE (Free Pre-School) Examples of how the

Budget promises on free childcare are already in doubt, with major concerns about the sector’s capacity to cope with the sheer numbers involved. The Government has pledged to provide additional months of free care for children from the age of

Free preschool measures not expected to be introduced until September 2016 Parents of children paying for pre-school care will not benefit from the childcare measures announced in Budget 2016. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin said the €1.1

Measures aimed at hard-pressed working families will offer little relief to many parents of pre-school children Childcare was the dominant issue for readers in the wake of the 2016 Budget presentation, specifically the new pre-school care measures. Hard-pressed parents were