'Punishingly expensive' - Outrage as parents forced to pay up to €1,200 a month for childcare

"We're going backwards" is what one crèche owner had to say on Newstalk on Tuesday when discussing the mounting issues with childcare in Ireland right now.

As the Department of Children recently released new figures to show the gap between provider fees and the Government's subsidies for parents, the continuous financial pressure placed on parents when it comes to childcare is evident.

One woman, Ciara, phoned in to say that she currently pays up to €1,200 a month for her two children under the age of four to be taken care of by an unregistered family friend. 

She explained: "We did look at a crèche and we looked at going through the registered childcare route but we couldn't get anyone at the time."

The nearest crèche Ciara could find was almost an hour away and so she said she was "lucky" to have a family friend able to take care of her son. 

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Unfortunately for families like Ciara's subsidies don't impact those who use unregistered childminders. And, as more and more people struggle to find spaces for their children, this is a major issue for many across the country. 

Another woman Siobhán rang the show to say that she was told by one crèche that there was a five year waiting list to attend. As crèches face increasing costs to remain open and staff retention issues, the demand for spaces are causing even more strain on parents as well as the financial burden.

John, the owner of Bell Childcare in Douglas, County Cork, also joined in on the discussion on Newstalk. John said he is contacted by parents on a daily basis about these ongoing issues.

He said although solving the affordability issue would be great for parents, it would not solve the capacity issue and it would actually drive up the demand and heighten the problem. 

With the capacity issues people are forced to go to unregistered childminders and then they face the financial challenges of not receiving the subsidies. However, John agreed we absolutely need these unregistered childminders with how childcare is at the moment and especially in rural areas. With how the current system is, he said he doesn't blame these people at all. 

In their pre-election campaign the Government promised to bring childcare costs down to just €200 a month. However, clearly there is still a significant need for improvement in not just subsidies but in the entire sector.