Federation of Childhood Providers Ireland

09/06/2026

Today, representatives of the Federation of Early Childhood Providers and DCU will meet with Ministers, TDs, Senators and senior Government officials in Leinster House to discuss the realities facing childcare providers across Ireland.

We will be raising issues that providers tell us about every day:

✔️ Sustainability pressures
✔️ Staffing shortages
✔️ Capacity loss and service closures
✔️ Historical fee freezes and rates
✔️ Core Funding challenges
✔️ Provider wellbeing
✔️ Workforce retention
✔️ Access to childcare for families

And more…

Over recent years, providers have adapted, invested, complied with increasing regulation and continued to support children, families and communities despite mounting challenges.

Today is about ensuring those voices are heard.

The message we will bring is simple:

Without sustainable providers, there can be no sustainable childcare system.

A sustainable childcare system requires:
• Sustainable providers
• Sustainable staffing models
• Sustainable funding
• Sustainable access for families

We look forward to engaging constructively with policymakers and ensuring the experiences of providers throughout Ireland form part of future discussions and decisions.

If you are a childcare provider and would like to strengthen the voice of the sector, we invite you to join us.

Together we are stronger.
Together we are heard.
Together we create change.

08/06/2026

LETTER from ELAINE DUNNE FEDERATION OF CHILDHOOD PROVIDERS

PLEASE SHARE

When more than 1,000 services have closed since 2019 in this country, serious questions must be asked. Unless meaningful action is taken, many more services will continue to close or withdraw from government schemes simply to keep their doors open.

We must ask why this issue is not receiving the attention it deserves. The scale of the crisis is being downplayed, while providers, educators, employers, and families are facing increasing pressure. We cannot stand by and watch more of our colleagues being forced out of business.

The latest report from employers highlights the challenges facing the sector. As Early Years providers, we are employers too, and we cannot remain viable if government funding arrangements continue to make our services financially unsustainable.

The Federation of Early Childhood Providers (FECP) is calling on all Early Years Services, Early Years Educators, employers, and parents across the country to come together for a united public discussion on the future of our sector. We must work collectively to identify the changes needed to ensure sustainable, high-quality Early Years services for children, families, educators, and providers.

Core Funding is having a significant negative impact on many services. The time for unity is now. Together, we can advocate for the changes necessary to secure the future of Early Years education and care.

Many thanks,

Elaine Dunne
Chairperson, Federation of Early Childhood Providers (FECP)

04/06/2026

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN POLICY IS DESIGNED WITHOUT PROVIDER INPUT?

Most childcare providers support positive change.

They support improvements.

They support quality.

They support accountability.

And they support policies that genuinely benefit children, families and staff.

But there is one question that should always be asked whenever a new policy, requirement or initiative is introduced:

Were providers properly consulted?

Because the difference between a policy that works and a policy that struggles often comes down to one thing:

Practical experience.

Providers are the people implementing policy on the ground every single day.

They understand:

* the realities of staffing
* the realities of sustainability
* the realities of compliance
* the realities of supporting children and families
* and the realities of operating services in communities across Ireland

When provider voices are included early, policies are often stronger, more practical and more effective.

When provider voices are missing, unintended consequences can emerge that nobody anticipated during development.

That is why meaningful consultation matters.

Not as a box-ticking exercise.

Not after decisions have already been made.

But as a genuine partnership between policymakers and the people delivering services every day.

At the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, one of our most important roles is ensuring provider voices are brought directly into discussions with government departments, policymakers and key stakeholders.

Because those closest to the challenges are often closest to the solutions.

The future of the sector will be strongest when policy is shaped with providers, not simply for providers.

What is one policy, requirement or change that you believe would have benefited from greater provider input before implementation?

02/06/2026

WHY MANY PROVIDERS RARELY SWITCH OFF

For many childcare providers, the working day doesn’t end when the last child goes home.

The doors may close.

But the responsibility doesn’t.

There are emails still to answer.

Staff queries to deal with.

Rosters to review.

Policies to update.

Funding applications to complete.

Parent concerns to address.

Maintenance issues to organise.

Compliance requirements to monitor.

Plans to make for tomorrow, next week and next month.

Running a childcare service often means carrying a constant mental checklist.

Even during family time.

Even at weekends.

Even on holidays.

Many providers don’t simply work in their service.

They carry the service with them.

Because when you are responsible for children, families, staff and the future of a business, switching off is often easier said than done.

This is one of the hidden realities of leadership within the early years sector.

It requires resilience.

It requires commitment.

And it requires an extraordinary level of dedication that is rarely seen by those outside the sector.

At the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, we regularly hear from providers and managers who are balancing enormous responsibilities while continuing to deliver exceptional services for their communities.

Their commitment should never be taken for granted.

As conversations continue around sustainability, workforce planning and the future of the sector, it is important to recognise not just the financial pressures providers face, but the personal pressures too.

Because behind every successful childcare service is someone carrying far more responsibility than most people realise.

When was the last time you truly switched off from thinking about your service?

30/05/2026

Elaine Dunne

TURNOVER DOES NOT EQUAL PROFIT

One of the biggest misconceptions about running a childcare service is that a full service automatically means a profitable service.

The reality is far more complex.

When people hear that a childcare service has thousands of euro flowing through its accounts each year, many assume the owner must be doing exceptionally well financially.

What they rarely see are the costs behind those figures.

Staff wages.

Employer contributions.

Insurance.

Utilities.

Rates.

Rent or mortgage repayments.

Maintenance.

Training.

Compliance requirements.

Resources.

Software systems.

Administration.

Professional services.

And a growing list of operational expenses that continue to rise year after year.

A childcare service can appear successful from the outside while operating under enormous financial pressure behind the scenes.

This is why headline figures rarely tell the full story.

Turnover is what comes in.

Profit is what remains after every bill, every obligation and every responsibility has been paid.

Understanding that distinction is critical when discussing sustainability, funding models and the future of childcare provision in Ireland.

At the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, we continue to raise awareness of the real financial realities facing providers and ensure those realities are represented in discussions with policymakers and decision-makers.

Because assumptions do not keep services open.

Sustainable funding and informed policy do.

Have you ever had someone assume that because your service was busy, it must automatically be highly profitable?

Share your experience below. 👇

30/05/2026

Elaine Dunne

THE PRESSURE OF BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR FAMILIES, STAFF AND CHILDREN

Running a childcare service is not simply a job.

For many providers, it is a responsibility they carry every single day, often long after they leave the building.

Because behind every service are real people depending on it.

Children depending on consistency, care and support.

Parents depending on reliable childcare so they can work, study and provide for their families.

Staff depending on secure employment, leadership and stability.

And providers carrying the responsibility of making all of that work together in an increasingly challenging environment.

What many outside the sector do not fully see is the constant balancing act providers face every day:

* supporting children
* supporting families
* supporting staff
* maintaining quality
* meeting compliance requirements
* managing rising costs
* solving daily operational challenges
* and trying to keep services sustainable for the future

It is a level of responsibility that few sectors truly understand.

And while providers continue showing extraordinary resilience, passion and professionalism, the pressure being carried across the sector is very real.

At the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, we believe those realities must continue to be recognised in policy discussions, funding conversations and future planning for the sector.

Because sustainable childcare services are not built on goodwill alone.

They require support, understanding, realistic policy and meaningful engagement with the people operating services on the ground every day.

To every provider carrying that responsibility daily:
Your work matters.
Your challenges are real.
And your voice deserves to be heard.

What is one responsibility people outside the sector often underestimate most about running a childcare service?

29/05/2026

THE PRESSURE OF BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR FAMILIES, STAFF AND CHILDREN

Running a childcare service is not simply a job.

For many providers, it is a responsibility they carry every single day, often long after they leave the building.

Because behind every service are real people depending on it.

Children depending on consistency, care and support.

Parents depending on reliable childcare so they can work, study and provide for their families.

Staff depending on secure employment, leadership and stability.

And providers carrying the responsibility of making all of that work together in an increasingly challenging environment.

What many outside the sector do not fully see is the constant balancing act providers face every day:

* supporting children
* supporting families
* supporting staff
* maintaining quality
* meeting compliance requirements
* managing rising costs
* solving daily operational challenges
* and trying to keep services sustainable for the future

It is a level of responsibility that few sectors truly understand.

And while providers continue showing extraordinary resilience, passion and professionalism, the pressure being carried across the sector is very real.

At the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, we believe those realities must continue to be recognised in policy discussions, funding conversations and future planning for the sector.

Because sustainable childcare services are not built on goodwill alone.

They require support, understanding, realistic policy and meaningful engagement with the people operating services on the ground every day.

To every provider carrying that responsibility daily:
Your work matters.
Your challenges are real.
And your voice deserves to be heard.

What is one responsibility people outside the sector often underestimate most about running a childcare service?

27/05/2026

TURNOVER DOES NOT EQUAL PROFIT

One of the biggest misconceptions about running a childcare service is that a full service automatically means a profitable service.

The reality is far more complex.

When people hear that a childcare service has thousands of euro flowing through its accounts each year, many assume the owner must be doing exceptionally well financially.

What they rarely see are the costs behind those figures.

Staff wages.

Employer contributions.

Insurance.

Utilities.

Rates.

Rent or mortgage repayments.

Maintenance.

Training.

Compliance requirements.

Resources.

Software systems.

Administration.

Professional services.

And a growing list of operational expenses that continue to rise year after year.

A childcare service can appear successful from the outside while operating under enormous financial pressure behind the scenes.

This is why headline figures rarely tell the full story.

Turnover is what comes in.

Profit is what remains after every bill, every obligation and every responsibility has been paid.

Understanding that distinction is critical when discussing sustainability, funding models and the future of childcare provision in Ireland.

At the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, we continue to raise awareness of the real financial realities facing providers and ensure those realities are represented in discussions with policymakers and decision-makers.

Because assumptions do not keep services open.

Sustainable funding and informed policy do.

Have you ever had someone assume that because your service was busy, it must automatically be highly profitable?

Share your experience below. 👇