Ireland - The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, has today announced the launch of a public consultation on legislation and regulations governing school-age childcare.
Childcare services for children who are attending school are governed by the Regulations for School Age Childcare, which were introduced in 2019. As these Regulations are mainly focused on registration, the Department is now developing comprehensive School Age Childcare Regulations.
It comes at a time when the number of school aged childcare services is growing rapidly,
with the support of subsidies for parents under the National Childcare Scheme.The proportion of early learning and childcare services located on school premises has reached an all-time high. In the 2021/22 programme year, 15.9% of early learning and childcare services were located on school premises. This has increased to 22.5% in the current 2024/25 programme year.
This equates to 1,084 services of the 4,816 early learning and childcare services in contract with the Department for the 2024/25 programme year.
This consultation is an opportunity for parents, school-age childcare practitioners, providers and other stakeholders to shape the legislation that supports the regulation of school-age childcare services.
Speaking about the consultation, Minister Foley said:
"This public consultation is your opportunity to help shape the future of school age childcare in Ireland. I encourage providers, practitioners and parents to join this consultation. Together, we can ensure that our children’s care is provided in environments that support their wellbeing."
In addition to questions on school-age childcare, Minister Foley is also taking this opportunity to consult on a number of potential changes to the 2016 Regulations for early learning and care services.
The consultation is open for anyone to give their feedback through an online survey (available from today until 31 October 2025) and also to indicate their interest in participating in targeted focus groups. This approach will facilitate comprehensive feedback from all relevant stakeholders. This consultation will build on previous consultations such as the 2019 consultation on the Development of School Age Childcare Comprehensive Regulations and Quality Standards.
Sectoral and parental feedback and insights will play an important role in creating a regulatory framework that meets the highest standards of care for children and also respects and acknowledges the critical role school-age childcare services play in supporting parents.
The development of comprehensive School Age Childcare Regulations is a commitment in First 5: the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families.
In advance of finalisation of comprehensive School Age Childcare Regulations, expected in early 2026, draft regulations will be published for a second consultation period. This will give a further opportunity to the public to review and consider the proposals before they are introduced. It is expected that existing school-age services that are already registered with Tusla will have a transition period to ensure compliance with the new regulations.
Make your voice heard by joining the public consultation here.
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