Preschool changes to cost families €100 monthly

FAMILIES with pre-school children will be €100 a month worse off per child when cuts announced in the April and December budgets come into effect this week.

Thousands of hard-pressed families saw a reduction of €16 in monthly child benefit payments yesterday while the Early Childcare Supplement of €1,000 a year for children under five was also abolished from this week following an announcement in last April’s budget.

The National Women’s Council fears the cuts will lead to more women leaving the workforce and staying at home. Fine Gael said a number of families have “lost the only support provided to assist with the raising of children”.