150 Kilcullen children need childcare places - survey

More than 150 children in Kilcullen need an early years or after-school place, according to responses to a survey of parents in the town, writes Brian Byrne. One hundred and ten parents responded to the study, carried out during July and August.

Almost half of those who responded said they have considered giving up employment because of the lack of childcare places in the town. Deputy Mark Wall conducted the survey with a community group, Kilcullen Needs Childcare. Deputy Wall says it's a crisis reflected across the whole county of Kildare.

"This is all going on while we have purpose-built facilities lying vacant across Kildare," he said today. "Many small-to-medium-sized childcare settings are struggling to break even. We need to see the State stepping into places like Kilcullen that have become a childcare desert, we need publicly funded, State-led childcare facilities set up, and we need to finally recognise early years education as a vital investment in our children’s future and a key part of the education system.”

He noted that the majority of those affected are women in jobs in high demand, such as education, healthcare, construction, and finance. "The lack of childcare is also having a negative impact on the careers of these parents, as one in five have already given up their careers."

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