Meath families face ‘crippling’ shortage of childcare
Families across Meath are facing a “crippling” shortage of early learning and childcare places, Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, Darren O’Rourke, has said.
He is calling on the Government to “urgently” deliver on its commitment to provide state-owned facilities.
Speaking after receiving a parliamentary reply from the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, Deputy O’Rourke said the shortage is placing immense strain on parents and children throughout the county.
“This is not an abstract policy goal; it is a critical necessity for communities across County Meath, which are experiencing a crippling shortage of childcare places,” he said.
Recent figures reveal that 1,745 children under the age of three in the county are on waiting lists.
"Waiting lists are endemic throughout the county, placing immense strain on families, hindering parental participation in the workforce, and causing avoidable stress for children.”
"The situation in Dunshaughlin is a case in point. The failure to deliver the long-promised creche at the Willows estate is exacerbating an already critical lack of provision,” he added.
Deputy O’Rourke criticised the scale of the Government’s Building Blocks Grant Scheme, noting that only two projects in Meath have been approved under the initiative.
“While the Building Blocks Grant Scheme is a step, its scale is insufficient. The approval of just two projects for all of Meath under this scheme will not come close to meeting the massive, unmet demand,” he said.
“The Programme for Government’s pledge to build or purchase state-owned facilities is a landmark commitment that offers a pathway to strategic, long-term solutions. We cannot continue to rely on a piecemeal, market-led approach that has consistently failed to keep pace with our growing communities,” he said.
In its reply, the Department acknowledged that “demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply in certain parts of the country, particularly for younger children.”
The Department also confirmed that a forward planning model is being developed to map demand and guide future investment, and to capital investment in state-owned childcare facilities.
The Meath East TD said the forward planning model “must be expedited and its findings acted upon without delay.”
"The revision of the National Development Plan must prioritise and fully fund the construction of state-owned childcare facilities, starting with acute shortage areas like Dunshaughlin and wider County Meath.”
He added: “Families in Meath have waited long enough. The Government must honour its promise and invest in our children’s future.”