A reformed childcare model is being promised to parents and families by An Taoiseach Simon Harris, as a key pledge in the run up to the general election.

Harris says Fine Gael will reduce childcare costs to a maximum of €200 per child, per month, if re-elected to Government, committing to outline the actual costs of a new system within his first 100 days of office.

Speaking at a Macra event in Naas in recent weeks, the Taoiseach acknowledged that childcare costs were still too high, but said some progress had been achieved on making childcare more affordable.

Increased rates of funding have been allocated to crèche facilities since September of this year, however, these increases have been dismissed as ‘tokenistic’ by crèche workers, who say the allocation for childcare needed to be doubled to have any meaningful effect.

Harris said the lack of provision of childcare places in some parts of the country was as big an issue as the cost to families and said reform of the sector would be a priority in the next government if he was Taoiseach.

He added that he wanted to increase access to what he described as the ‘transformational’ Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) pre-school scheme.

The ongoing crisis within the childcare sector has meant families across the country continue to struggle to find places for their children.

A new model of support, Core Funding, introduced by Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman, Green Party leader in 2022 has been blamed for many smaller crèches closing their doors.

The freeze on fees, required by Core Funding, continues to impact providers who say they cannot sustain soaring costs due to rising inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. A growing number of larger childcare facilities around the country have withdrawn from the Core Funding scheme, which has resulted in fee increases adding further pressure to parents.

Harris said his party manifesto would outline proposals to reform the sector, with clear detail for parents.

It is believed one of the key elements of the Fine Gael plan commits to new childcare facilities being built on campus alongside new primary school developments already earmarked for various locations throughout the country.

Figures released by The Federation of Early Childhood Providers (FECP) earlier this year showed 30 crèches, caring for more than 900 children, had given notice of closure to parents, with most citing lack of funding and staffing issues.

First introduced in 2022, Core Funding is a grant to early learning and childcare providers towards their operating costs, and in return for investment, services agree to conditions of the scheme, including fee management and financial transparency.