Crèches ‘need €2,500 per child’ for adequate care

THE ONLY way that crèches can be made affordable is if childcare providers are given annual subsidies of €2,500 for each child and parents are granted means-tested tax relief, according to the National Crèche and Nurseries Association.

In its pre-budget submission, the NCNA warned that affordability should not be at the expense of quality and it estimated that it costs €264 a week to give a child full-time quality care.

Their letter to the Department of Finance calls for crèche fees to be charged on a sliding fee scale depending on income, with the balance paid by the Government.