Childhood Services Ireland (CSI) Reaction to Budget 2026

Childhood Services Ireland, the Ibec representative body for childcare providers, has reacted to Budget 2026. While any investment in the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector are welcome, micro funding increases and reannounced budget commitments from Budget 2024 will not deliver a sustainable high-quality ECEC sector for Irish children and families. Childhood Services Ireland has been clear in its ask that the government needs to meet the OECD recommended Early Childhood Education and Care investment of 1% of GNI.

Reacting to the Budget, Stephanie Roy, Director of Childhood Services Ireland said:

"The government has committed to funding the year-on-year growth in the sector, but they haven’t committed to the sustainability of high-quality early childhood education and care. We are clear, however, that Ireland needs to meet the OECD recommended investment target of 1% of GNI, that’s €3.2 billion – we are currently at just half of that and we do not see a plan to reach that. This budget has delivered very little for providers, children and families. Our members are committed to maintaining high-quality childcare and in order to sustain this, we will need to see increased investment in the sector. Any investment in ECEC is an investment in children and an investment in Ireland’s future - this budget does not demonstrate the government’s commitment to children. We need to rethink and refocus those investments on high-quality ECEC. We need to ask ourselves, what are our children worth?"