Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I have been contacted this week by a number of families whose children go to the Discoveries Crèche and Montessori School in Shankill. I understand something similar has happened at the Discoveries crèche in Firhouse. The organisation has decided to pull out of core funding because it is inadequate and therefore the parents are being told they will endure a 28% increase in childcare fees. For one woman, this means her childcare costs for two children will go up to €2,000 a month. For another couple with three children, the costs will go up to €2,500 a month and in their case, they are saying one of them will probably have to give up work. This is very serious and is a result of the inadequacy of core funding. These cases are not isolated cases. We need proper investment to ensure childcare is made affordable, either by increasing core funding-----

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