Pay parents to stay home with baby, poll finds

Two-thirds of people believe parents should be financially supported to stay at home with their child for the first 12 months of its life.

A new poll, conducted for Early Childhood Ireland’s first-ever Childcare Barometer, also found that a similar percentage of respondents believe childcare should be free in Ireland.

In the poll of 1,000 people, one-quarter agreed that parents should be fully responsible for the cost of childcare.