High turnover in Cork childcare

By Liudmyla Bortok

Childcare providers across Cork are struggling to hold onto qualified staff, as turnover in the sector reaches over 28%. The figures have prompted Early Childhood Ireland to call on the government to commit to pay parity for Early Years and School Age Care graduates.

In its Budget 2026 submission, made on Wednesday, the organisation is urging the State to match graduate pay and conditions with those of primary school teachers. It argues that this move is key to solving the ongoing recruitment and retention crisis in the sector.

Frances Byrne, Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland, said: “Guaranteeing public pay and conditions for Early Years and School Age Care graduates would mark a turning point for settings in Cork. As things stand, we are losing too many talented educators to sectors offering better pay and greater security.”

According to data from Pobal, the organisation that manages Early Years funding, Cork's turnover rate is 28.3%. It stands at 27.4% across the county and rises to 29.3% in the city. Over 2,000 qualified staff nationally — those with a Level 7 NFQ qualification or higher — left their jobs or moved to other settings last year.

“The Government is moving in the right direction,” Ms Byrne said, “but unless a new urgency is brought to the pay issues, Early Childhood Ireland’s 458 member settings in Cork will continue to lose their most qualified staff at these unsustainable levels.”

There have been recent proposals to increase minimum pay rates for staff from €13.65 to €15 an hour, but Early Childhood Ireland says this doesn’t go far enough.

“Any increase is welcome, and it is essential that the Govt maintains financial support for these rates of pay,” Ms Byrne said. “However, pay levels for the Early Years and School Age Care workforce are still at the mercy of two annual processes, the Joint Labour Committee’s deliberations and the annual Budget. Year after year, staff wait to learn what lies ahead, while key benefits such as annual increments, pensions, and maternity leave top-ups remain out of reach.”

She added that the lack of stable pay is causing highly qualified graduates to leave the sector, despite their essential role in children’s development.

“Bringing Early Years and School Age Care graduates under public sector pay in line with teachers will not only offer a significant degree of certainty and security to staff in Cork, but also finally acknowledge the instrumental role they play in children’s lives.”

Early Childhood Ireland says real change will only happen when the government names a date for pay parity — and sticks to it.