Early years and school age care were left behind in Budget 2026, Early Childhood Ireland said.

BUDGET 2026: It’s a missed opportunity says Early Childhood Ireland

A deep concern has been voiced over the lack of meaningful investment in Early Years and School Age Care.

Early Childhood Ireland said it represents a missed opportunity to build a fit-for-purpose system that supports the needs of children, families, the workforce and providers.

With just €125 million added in Budget 2026, bringing the overall allocation to €1.48 billion, this figure falls far short of what’s needed to ensure every child is guaranteed access to high-quality early years and school age care in their community.

It was announced that 2,300 new early years places will be created through the Building Blocks Scheme, an expansion grant for existing providers.

Early Childhood Ireland said this does not begin to address the current capacity needs, with up to 40,000 children under the age of three on waiting lists nationwide, according to Pobal.

Commenting on this, CEO of Early Childhood Ireland, Teresa Heeney, said: “While we welcome the additional early years places announced in Budget 2026, this will barely make a dent in the current waiting lists. Furthermore, we are concerned with how the Government plans to address the lack of spaces in areas known as ‘childcare deserts’ where there are virtually no places available.”

Early Childhood Ireland raised the question about who is going to staff these new settings, as recruitment and retention continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing the sector.

In its Budget 2026 Submission, the advocacy and membership organisation urged the Government to name a date to bring pay and conditions for early years and school age care graduates in line with primary school teachers, who are educated and trained to the same level.

Ms Heeney added: “We cannot continue to lose talented professionals to other sectors where they receive better pay and conditions. Without meaningful investment in this workforce, settings will continue to lose staff and any efforts to increase capacity will fall short.”

“This budget signals a worrying lack of ambition and vision for a system that should be built around the rights and best interests of the child,” she concluded.