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Federation of Childhood Providers Ireland, Dublin (2025)

11/08/2025

🚨 Parents Hit With 70% Childcare Fee Hikes – This is What Broken Funding Looks Like 🚨

A Cork family’s childcare costs just shot up by 70% after their provider was forced to leave the Government’s Core Funding scheme.

We’ve warned this would happen. And now it’s here:

❌ Large, Medium, Small & Sessional services can’t survive on Core Funding rates that don’t match rising costs.

❌ Urban & Rural providers are tired of fearing closing – leaving parents with fewer options. They are choosing to leave over shutting their doors.

❌ The “affordable childcare” promise? Shattered.

This is not a local problem. It’s happening in towns and villages across Ireland.
Each closure isn’t just a business loss – it’s a loss for children, families, and communities.

We’re calling for:

1️⃣ Core Funding and Capitation raised to real operating costs.
2️⃣ Support tailored for both urban & rural services.
3️⃣ Urgent review of AIM funding and ERO impact.

The Government can fix this – but only if they listen to those on the ground.

We will not stand by while the early years sector is dismantled.

Join us 👇

https://fecp.ie/register/the-federation-of-early-childhood-providers-membership-application/

07/08/2025

🚨The Core Funding Model Is Collapsing Providers Are Being Forced Out While Government Stands Still 🚨

The latest figures from Wicklow are a flashing red warning light for the entire country. What we’re witnessing is not an isolated case — it is the consequence of a deeply flawed and rigid funding model that is driving providers to the brink.

Services in Wicklow are now following a national trend. More and more are pulling out of Core Funding, not because they want to, but because the system is financially unworkable. From many providers including Once Upon a Time, and more long-standing providers are being pushed to the wall by stagnant fee caps, rising costs, and a complete lack of flexibility.

Let us be absolutely clear:

🔴 This is not working.
🔴 This is not sustainable.
🔴 This is not supporting children, families, or providers.

Fee caps that bear no relation to the cost of running a modern childcare service are crushing large, medium, small and sessional services. The promise of “Core Funding” has become a trap for so many, locking services into an inflexible model while operating costs soar.

Parents are now paying the price, with some seeing monthly childcare costs rise by hundreds of euros. In many cases, parents are being forced to choose between work and childcare, while urban, rural and sessional services disappear from the map.

And yet, Government refuses to change a system that is clearly broken.

“We’ve warned them for two years. This isn’t a funding model, it’s a straitjacket. Providers are being choked out of the sector while the Department watches in silence. If they won’t fix it, more services will walk, because survival is no longer possible within Core Funding for an ever increasing number.”
— Elaine Dunne, Federation Spokesperson

We, the Federation, will not sit quietly as providers are forced out, children lose vital services, and families are left stranded. We are calling once again for:

✔️ A full and transparent review of the Core Funding model
✔️ A rebalancing that supports all service types, not just full-day care
✔️ Immediate engagement with providers with quantifiable goals on the ground to save those who are living the consequences of this failure

This is no longer a warning. This is a crisis in motion.

The Federation stands with every provider now facing impossible choices. We will continue to fight for a system that is fair, sustainable, and fit for purpose

Join us 👇

https://fecp.ie/register/the-federation-of-early-childhood-providers-membership-application/

01/08/2025

🚨The Federation Hits the Airwaves Again: Core Funding Failures Exposed🚨

Following yesterday’s statement highlighting the ongoing crisis in our sector, our Chairperson Elaine Dunne took to the airwaves once again this time joined by one of our dedicated Donegal members, to drive home the stark reality facing sessional and rural providers across Ireland.

In a hard-hitting interview, Elaine and our Donegal representative laid bare the brutal truth: the Core Funding model is not working. It is failing to reflect the lived experience of small and sessional services, particularly in rural areas where sustainability is now a daily battle.

They spoke truth to power calling out:

🔹 The deep imbalance in funding between different service types

🔹 The growing core funding exodus of providers due to impossible financial pressures

🔹 The unrealistic expectations placed on services without the resources to meet them

🔹 The complete lack of genuine consultation with those most affected

This interview is part of our wider campaign we are spearheading to make sure our sector is not just heard but listened to. The Federation will not back down until real reform is delivered and our children, our staff, and our communities are protected.

The message is loud and clear: We need a funding system that works for all services not just the select few (for now).

Watch this space. We’re just getting started. 👊

Join us at

https://fecp.ie/register/the-federation-of-early-childhood-providers-membership-application/

31/07/2025

🚨10% more of Members including our Dublin Provider in the Irish Times article withdrawing from Core Funding🚨

“The Core Funding model is not working – and this week’s news proves it.”

We stand with our members and all early years providers who are speaking out and stepping back from a system that has become unsustainable, inequitable, and damaging to the very people it was supposed to support.

This weeks Irish Times report confirms what we’ve been shouting for months:

Core funding, in its current form, is deeply flawed.

Here’s what we’ve seen and said:

• Fee freezes have created a two-tier, anti-competitive system, where some providers are trapped and others are permitted to charge far more – for the same service.

• Services are expected to meet complex compliance, staffing, and inclusion demands on flat, inflexible funding rates.

• There is no recognition of real costs: utilities, wages, equipment, training, or inclusion supports are chronically underfunded.

• The model fails both providers and families. As providers pull out to stay afloat, it’s parents and children who are left scrambling.

To add to this moment:

• Many providers are now considering withdrawing from core funding with a further 10% of our members to do so this year – not because they want to raise fees, but because they can’t survive under the weight of this model.

• There is no predictability in how funding decisions are made. Fee increases are blocked without transparency. Planning for the future is impossible.

• We are facing a crisis of confidence, investment, and leadership.

Let’s be clear:

• This isn’t one provider stepping out — it’s the start of a sector taking a stand.

• This isn’t about greed — it’s about basic survival.

• And this isn’t a failure of providers — it’s a failure of policy.

We Stand With Our Members as they can no longer punish themselves and their families on the back of this system.

We have your back. We have raised these issues in meetings with government, in published research, and in every room we’ve been invited into. And we won’t stop.

We are calling for:

✅ A complete review of the core funding model with provider consultation ahead of any roll outs in the future

✅ Immediate action on fee cap fairness and flexibility

✅ Proper resourcing for staffing, inclusion, and sustainability

✅ A seat at the policy table for real providers before this sector collapses completely beyond repair

To our members and those considering joining us:

Stay strong. Speak out. Stand with us.

Every voice matters. Every service matters. And together, we are louder, stronger, and unstoppable.

Join us 👇

https://fecp.ie/register/the-federation-of-early-childhood-providers-membership-application/

30/07/2025

🚨ENOUGH IS ENOUGH🚨

The early years sector is at breaking point — and we brought your voices directly to the Minister and the Department.

We went in with fire in our bellies, carrying the weight of everything you’re dealing with on the ground — the stress, the uncertainty, the unfairness, and the deep, ongoing exhaustion.

And we told them the truth:

➡ That the funding model is fundamentally broken. It’s built on outdated assumptions, it doesn’t reflect real-life operating hours, and it punishes the very providers who built this sector.

➡ That fee freezes have created a two-tier system — where some services are locked into unsustainable pricing, while others can open next door and charge significantly more. That’s not progress. That’s oppression, and it’s hurting children and families in the most vulnerable communities.

➡ That AIM supports are failing in practice. Providers are taking in children with serious additional needs — without notice, without funding, and without training. These children deserve more, and so do the staff trying to support them. We raised concerns about legal threats, health and safety risks, and the complete lack of timely support for these children and the educators caring for them.

➡ That managers are being pulled into rooms, covering basic care needs with no additional staff support — because core funding no longer allows for support workers. Managers are being squeezed, overworked, and underpaid, and we said it clearly: You can’t maintain quality by pushing leadership back onto the floor.

➡ That mental health in the sector is in crisis. Burnout is no longer a risk — it’s the norm. Providers are exhausted, some are medicated, others are walking away. And the heartbreaking part? It’s not because they don’t care. It’s because they care too much — and the system is letting them down.

➡ That the current expansion model is reckless and uncoordinated. Planning rules have disappeared. New services are opening in already saturated areas, driving out small providers, while other communities remain under-served. The chaos is unsustainable — and it’s being driven by short-term decisions instead of long-term strategy.

➡ That women — who make up the vast majority of this workforce — are being financially punished and emotionally drained by a system that undervalues their work and their worth. Many are surviving on wages no one in government would accept.

We also reminded them:

✅ That we are employers.
✅ That we are educators.
✅ That we are business owners, leaders, and advocates.
✅ That we carry the weight of a broken system and still show up for children every single day.

And most importantly:

💬 “If the government wants this model, they need to treat us like partners — not control us without consultation, undervalue our role, and strip us of our ability to run sustainable services.”

🛑 To every provider who’s struggling, thinking of closing, or feeling invisible — you are not alone.

We hear you.
We fight for you.
And we will continue to bring your truth to every table we can sit at.

👉 Now we ask you: stand with us.
Join us in pushing for a future where early years education is funded fairly, staffed properly, and respected as the essential foundation of our society.

Click the link to join us 👇

https://fecp.ie/register/the-federation-of-early-childhood-providers-membership-application/

Because one voice can spark a conversation.
But a united voice can start a movement.

Let’s move.

09/07/2025

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to present to Government in the AV Room at Leinster House. Our Chairperson, Elaine Dunne, shared the real, on-the-ground experiences that so many of you are living every single day. The presentation was powerful, emotional, and—above all—real.

At the heart of the presentation was a story that touched every person in the room. A story that many of you will recognise because you’ve lived something just like it.

🧸 Henry’s Story

Henry is just two years old. He lives with albinism—a lifelong condition that, in his case, means he can only see one metre in front of him. His development also mirrors characteristics similar to autism, resulting in significant delays.

After months of therapy abroad, Henry made amazing progress. But when his family returned to Ireland in September 2024, everything changed.

They were met with backlogged waiting lists, insufficient staff training, and a system unable to support his needs. The lack of trained AIM support workers and available services made it nearly impossible for Henry to access the care he needs and deserves.

But one person didn’t give up—Elaine and her team at Treehouse Preschool made the impossible possible. They took Henry in. They did what we all do every day—stepped in when nobody else would. They made sure he had a place, that he was safe, nurtured, and included.

Yet even with this dedication, the barriers within AIM—particularly the arbitrary cut-off for support at 2 years and 9 months—have left Henry without the continued help he desperately needs.

💔 A Room in Tears

As Elaine and Henry’s Mother told Henry’s story to the room of TDs and Senators, there was clear upset. The reality of Henry’s life—and the lives of countless other children, parents, and childcare professionals across Ireland—hit home.

The heartbreak, the injustice, and the sheer determination of those on the ground was impossible to ignore.

Elaine didn’t just speak for Henry—she spoke for every provider and educator who has fought for inclusion, every parent who feels lost, and every child who needs more than the current system will allow.

🙌 We’re Fighting for You

Elaine’s powerful message was clear: the current AIM model is not working and our asks were clear thanks to you all.

Among these we are calling on the Government to remove the 2-year-9-month AIM barrier and create a system that recognises the real needs of real children.

Henry’s story must not be in vain.

We know his story is one of many. Thank you for continuing to show up, to care, and to carry children like Henry through a system that too often leaves them behind.

Let us keep fighting—for Henry, for his family, and for every child who needs our voice.

In solidarity,

The Team

The Federation of Early Childhood Providers (FECP)

📧 [email protected]

🌐 www.fecp.ie

Thank you to Deputy Nolan for inviting us to further raise the issues on the ground. To all of our Galway members, please don’t hesitate to speak with Carol Nolan Independent TD on our issues. The more we speak out the better.

27/06/2025

🎉 Big News for the Early Years Sector 🎉

We’re proud to share that following JLC negotiations, proposed new pay rates are on the way for Early Years professionals — set to take effect in September 2025 (pending final approval).

Here’s what’s proposed 👇

💶 Hourly Pay Increases:
👩‍🏫 Educator: €13.65 ➡️ €15.00
📚 Lead Educator: €14.70 ➡️ €16.00
🎓 Graduate Lead: €16.28 ➡️ €17.50
👥 Deputy Manager: €16.49 ➡️ €18.00
🏫 Centre Manager: €17.33 ➡️ €19.00
🎓 Graduate Manager: €18.11 ➡️ €20.25

These changes are a positive step forward, reflecting the value and professionalism of our sector.

🛑 Remember: These rates are not yet final — they still require public consultation and ministerial approval.

🧭 The Federation will continue to fight for all of member asks — because we believe in raising all boats and building a stronger, fairer future for Early Years in Ireland.

🤝 Join the Federation today — via Membership Application – FECP We are stronger together, and your voice makes a difference.

💪 Thank you for your continued strength, dedication, and unity. This progress is yours.

20/06/2025

We are excited to share an important update from the Federation of Early Childhood Providers (FECP).

As many of you know, our ongoing efforts with the Joint Labour Committee (JLC) have reached a significant milestone. The new pay rates will now go out to public consultation, marking a brilliant step forward for our sector.

This update represents not just a change in numbers, but a profound acknowledgment of the value and dedication of our workforce.
These agreed pay scales will help us attract and retain the talented professionals essential to the growth and success of early childhood education across Ireland. It is a testament to our collective hard work and determination as colleagues.

We believe this is a turning point for us all, as it recognizes the vital contributions of early years professionals and elevates the standards within our sector. We are proud to stand alongside each of our members in this journey, shaping a better future for our sector collectively and in unity.

Thank you for your all of your input over the past months and for the continued support commitment.

We will be holding member meetings next week and look forward to seeing you all there!

With pride,

The Federation of Early Childhood Providers

30/05/2025

🤙📞Hold the phone there Minister! 🚨

FECP Member Update – Minister Norma Foley’s Public Address on Capped Childcare Fees

Dear

We hope this message finds you well.

We are writing to address the recent public comments made by Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, concerning the proposed introduction of capped childcare fees this September.

Once again, we find ourselves at a critical juncture in our sector, where the narrative from Government continues to focus almost exclusively on affordability for parents—without a balanced or realistic acknowledgement of the severe financial hardship faced by the very people who deliver early childhood care and education: you, the providers and educators.

Let us be absolutely clear: this is an alarming development. The Minister’s statement sets a dangerous precedent—one in which cost controls are further tightened on already strangled service providers, all while ignoring the financial unsustainability at the heart of our sector.

Little does the Minister seem to realise or perhaps chooses to overlook that crippling fee caps have already been in place for years under the guise of Core Funding and the convoluted National Childcare Scheme. While these schemes delivered for parents, they have had a devastating impact on provider autonomy and sustainability.

The Minister’s comment that a 50% average reduction in childcare costs has occurred since the State began directly funding providers is deeply misleading. While some families may have benefited, this reduction has largely come at the expense of provider viability, suppressed wages for educators, and ongoing red tape that has pushed many services to the brink.

And yes we expect that in response to our concerns, the Government will once again point to the so-called “fee increase allowance” last year. But let’s not be fooled. That process was a box-ticking exercise wrapped in bureaucracy, which failed to deliver in practice. Fee increases were delayed, denied, or rendered inaccessible by layers of conditions and missed submission windows not through any fault of providers, but due to the system’s own complexity and opacity.

When will the Government listen?

Educators and providers are not invisible. We are voters. We are taxpayers. We are essential.

The FECP is currently preparing our Pre-Budget Submission, which will once again shine a light on the true cost of operating an early years service under the current model and the unsustainable pressure being placed on those delivering care. We have also partnered with DCU to produce a peer reviewed study on well being in our sector, the results of which are harrowing to say the least!

We urge all members to engage with us, speak up, and stand together as we fight for a better funding model and conditions that work for everyone not just families, but also the professionals that make care and education possible.

Minister Foley says she is committed to expanding places. But without committed investment in sustainable business practices, funding, fair pay, and less red tape, these places will exist only on paper.

We ask: how can we be expected to increase capacity when the current system makes it nearly impossible to survive, let alone grow?

This is a pivotal moment. The sector needs urgent, meaningful reform—not more soundbites, and not more caps.

In solidarity,

The Federation of Early Childhood Providers (FECP)

Standing with You. Fighting for a Sustainable Sector.

⸻

(Please engage with our Facebook post, every like, comment and share spreads awareness)

To join our membership go to www.fecp.ie see you there!

28/05/2025

🧡📣Exciting Update on ISME Leadership

We are writing to share some significant updates regarding our chairperson Elaine Dunne, who has been actively engaged with ISME and has played a crucial role in amplifying our efforts at the Federation across various agencies and sectors within our country at government level.

At ISME's recent 2025 Annual General Meeting held at The Iveagh Garden Hotel, Elaine has been honored with the position of Vice-Chair of the board. Alongside her, Finbarr Filan has been appointed as Chair for the next two years. We are thrilled about this new leadership and have every confidence that they will guide ISME towards greater achievements.

We would also like to take a moment to express our gratitude to outgoing Chairman Marc O'Dwyer for his significant contributions during his tenure. His assistance has been invaluable, and we appreciate all he has done for ISME.

Elaine is looking forward to working collaboratively with Finbarr in the upcoming years and continuing to strengthen our efforts together.

Best regards,

FECP

03/04/2025

🚨Don't Miss Yesterday's Discussion with Minister Norma Foley

I encourage you to watch the video sent into WhatsApp this morning on yesterday’s session where we posed important questions to our Minister, Norma Foley.

Key issues were raised, with valuable contributions from Rosaleen (FECP Member) and Elaine (Chairperson).

Minister Foley's Opening Statement:

“Opening Statement by Minister for Children Disability and Equality Seanad Statements on Childcare Wednesday 15th April 2025 I welcome this opportunity to discuss the issue of early learning and childcare.This Government recognises the importance of early learning and childcare services to society and the economy, but most importantly, to the thousands of children and families they serve every day, as demonstrated in the new Programme for Government.

I was very pleased to have been a part of the negotiating team for the Programme for Government, and I am very proud of the commitments that have been made in the area of early learning and childcare.

Backed by record increases in investment over the term of the previous Government, early learning and childcare in Ireland has been transformed. In particular, there has been significant progress in the areas of affordability for parents, pay for educators and practitioners, and inclusion of children with disabilities and children who are experiencing disadvantage.

I intend to build on this progress in the years ahead. I absolutely recognise that we need to go further to support parents, educators, practitioners, and providers across the early learning and childcare sector, with the focus always on ensuring positive experiences for children. The pathway to developing this sector was set out in 'Partnership for the Public Good,' the report of the Expert Group that was agreed by Government in 2021.

The key theme of that report was the need to strengthen State involvement in the sector through greater levels of public management accompanied by greater levels of public funding. Significant reforms have already been delivered since then, and they provide a solid foundation for the next stage of development by this Government. The Core Funding Scheme was introduced in 2022.

Now in its third year, €331 million will be invested into the sector through this Scheme to deliver improved pay for educators and practitioners, to control parental fees, and to support providers.This Scheme has been the key to starting to unlock some of the long-standing challenges in the sector. The Joint Labour Committee process has seen the agreement of two rounds of Employment Regulation Orders establishing new minimum rates of pay for staff at different grades, supported by Core Funding.

This has resulted in pay increases for a large cohort of staff in the sector. I recognise, however, that we need to build on this to ensure that qualified staff are attracted and retained. To this end, an additional €15 million is being made available from September - which is equivalent to €45 million in a full year - to support the agreement on a third round of Employment Regulations Orders by the Joint Labour Committee. This funding is contingent on updated Orders being in place.

The National Childcare Scheme has increased subsidy rates paid to parents which, along with fee controls under Core Funding and other reforms to the scheme, are delivering much greater affordability for parents.Indeed, recent data from the OECD show that low-income households in Ireland are now paying at or below the OECD average for early learning and childcare for the first time.

But out-of-pocket costs for some parents remain much too high, in particular for parents with three or more children.The Access and Inclusion Model has already been extended to children in the pre-school programme outside of pre-school hours - both in term and out of term.This is making an enormous difference to the lives of children with a disability.

Further extensions of the Access and Inclusion Model for younger children and school-going children are now being considered.Equal Start - akin to the DEIS model in schools - has been introduced to support inclusion of children from disadvantaged backgrounds in early learning and childcare.

Services with a priority designation under Equal Start are now in receipt of funding for additional staff hours that can be used to support engagement between the services and families, engagement between the services and other child and family support services, training in inclusive practices and to support other educators and practitioners in the provision of early learning and childcare to children with higher levels of need. An additional nutrition programme will be rolled out in these services from September.

The expansion of regulations to allow for access to the subsidy schemes by families who use registered childminders was also achieved late last year, fulfilling commitments in the National Action Plan for Childminding (2021-2028).I hope to see childminder registration numbers gather pace in this three-year transition period (until September 2027) before registration becomes mandatory.During the transition period, my Department is providing supports at local level through the City and County Childcare Committees.

The Childminding Development Grant, provided by my Department, is also currently open for applications - until 4 April.The Expert Group report also made a number of recommendations in relation to the role of the State in the sector to enable greater public management. They called for the State to play a larger role in capacity planning and developing the sector to align with need, as well as examining the introduction public provision to complement private provision.

These are areas where some progress has been made but we need to step up our efforts.The Programme for Government builds on the initiatives in recent years since the publication of Partnership for the Public Good and provides the impetus now to go much further and to deliver on that mandate.Last year, a Supply Management Unit was established in my Department, and the Programme for Government articulates an intention that the Unit be resourced and transformed into a Forward Planning and Delivery Unit to identify areas of need, forecast demand, and deliver public supply within the early learning and childcare sector where required.This Unit is developing a forward planning model to assist in identifying where unmet need/demand and areas of low supply exist.

This model will be central to my Department's plans to achieve the policy goals set out in the Programme for Government to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare system, with State-led facilities adding capacity.The Programme for Government also commits for the first time to provide capital investment to build or purchase state-owned facilities, to create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists.State ownership of early learning and childcare facilities is a very substantial and significant shift in the policy direction that the Department has pursued heretofore. It offers the potential for much greater scope to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with estimated demand.And very importantly, we are committing to progressively reduce the cost of early learning and childcare to €200 per child, over the lifetime of the Government.

My Officials are examining this ambitious commitment and exploring approaches to most effectively achieve this objective. I look forward to working with them on proposals.We are very much in the planning phase for what I anticipate with be an exciting number of years to come. And core to this planning will be engagement with stakeholders across the sector.The Programme for Government outlines the intention to undertake a broad consultation ahead of publishing a detailed Action Plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and childeare system with State-led facilities adding capacity. This plan will enhance parental choice through ongoing support for public, private and community provision, as well as childminders.

I look forward to updating this House as that Action Plan as it is developed.Thank you.”

Your engagement is vital, and this discussion highlights our efforts to address prominent matters in our sector.

Best, Christopher Moran On behalf of the FECP

Federation of Childhood Providers Ireland

11/08/2025

07/08/2025

01/08/2025

31/07/2025

30/07/2025

09/07/2025

27/06/2025

20/06/2025

30/05/2025

28/05/2025

03/04/2025

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