Increase of 18% in Offaly children benefiting from National Childcare Scheme

An increase of 18% in the number of children in Offaly benefiting from the National Childcare Scheme was recorded in 2025, new data shared by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality has shown.

The scheme provides subsidies that substantially reduce the cost of early learning and childcare for tens of thousands of families across the country.

The data shows that a total of around 245,000 children benefited from the scheme in 2025 – a 12% increase on around 218,000 children who benefited from the scheme in  2024.

Offaly was among the most significant increases, alongside an 18% increase in Clare and a 16% increase in Roscommon.

The increase in uptake reflects the continued Government investment in the early learning and childcare sector, including a 53% increase in the minimum hourly National Childcare Scheme subsidy from September 2024.

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley said: “This increase in the number of children benefiting from the National Childcare Scheme is a positive development. The National Childcare Scheme has undergone a significant number of enhancements in recent years and we will continue to build on that progress.

"New, lower maximum fee changes for families paying the highest prices and higher subsidies for lower income families are on the way in September. I am committed to ensuring families across the country have access to more affordable early learning and childcare.”

The recently published Shaping the Future: The Early Years Action Plan contains details of changes to the income-assessed National Childcare Scheme subsidies which will improve affordability for up to 47,000 children from low-income families.

These changes, which will be introduced in September 2026, will increase the lower income threshold from €26,000 to €34,000 and the upper threshold from €60,000 to €68,000.

The multiple child discount will also be increased, which reduces parents’ reckonable income for the Income Assessed subsidy.

There will also be reductions in the highest fees charged to parents across the country from September 2026, with the lowering of the maximum fees that Core Funding Partner Services can charge.

These new, lower maximum fee levels will be announced in the coming months when full financial returns from providers have been analysed.