Average cost of childcare is €161 a week in Louth

A new report which provides an overview of the 4,300 facilities providing childcare services across Ireland shows that the average weekly cost of a full-time place in a childcare facility in Louth is €161.39.

Nationally, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown had highest childcare costs in the State with a weekly average fee of €213.94 for a fulltime place, while County Monaghan was the least expensive with a weekly rate of €142.14. The national average is €167.03 per week. Overall, throughout Ireland, between September 2015 and June 2016, 73,964 children enrolled in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) free preschool year. This represents an increase of 13% on the previous year and increased expenditure on the scheme by 28%, up to €178 million.

The new figures also show how there are 4262 children enrolled in childcare facilities in Louth, with 111 outlets providing services in the county. There are 603 people working in the childcare sector in Louth.

The report, prepared by Pobal, is entitled ‘ Early Years, Sector Profile 2015-2016’. The results in the survey were compiled from responses from 3,429 early years providers and supplemented by data supplied through the Programme Implementation Platform (PIP), an online data and reporting system used to support childcare programmes.

For more see www.pobal.ie.