It will be possible to introduce €10 a day childcare with just €345 million in State funding, Sinn Féin has claimed.

Childcare is expected to be one of the key policy battleground areas in the upcoming General Election, with many parents struggling to find affordable providers in their area. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, Roscommon Galway TD Claire Kerrane claimed Sinn Féin could reduce costs by increasing the State subsidy. 

“We want to use the existing National Childcare Scheme that is there and it currently provides a subsidy for parents,” she said. 

“We want to spend €105 million on closing the gap between providers’ costs and charges and €10 to ensure that every parent pays no more than €10 a day for childcare. 

“The system is already there, it’s just additional funding.” 

Small chairs stacked on a table in a childcare centre. Image: Picture Partners / Alamy Stock Photo

Deputy Kerrane said the party would also “accelerate” plans for the State to subsidise childminders with additional spending. 

“So, €105 million is the amount for… [the] over 95% of people that are getting a subsidy through the National Childcare Scheme,” she said. 

“We’ve added that to bring it to €345 million to include 90% of childminders because we want to bring them into the subsidy.

“They’re currently not able to provide that, so we want to include them.” 

When questioned about whether €10 a day childcare was feasible given the sums involved, Deputy Kerrane they had cleared the figure with economists. 

“This is a standalone figure from the Parliamentary Budget Office,” she said. 

Increased funding

Since taking power, the current coalition has steadily increased State subsidies for childcare in a bid to reduce costs for parents. 

In Budget 2024, the Government allocated €1.109 billion to the early learning and childcare sector - an increase of €83 million (8%) on the previous year. 

With that funding the Department of Children increased the subsidy for the National Childcare Scheme from €1.40 an hour to €2.14. 

Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman said the subsidy boost would save an average parent €1,731 per year.

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Main image: A child playing with toys. Picture by: Liam McBurney/PA Archive/PA Images