Mayo TD welcomes increase in number of families benefiting from NCS

The number of children in Mayo benefitting from reduced childcare and early learning services has increased, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Keira Keogh TD said that there has been a significant increase in the number of children and families benefitting from the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) throughout the country.

Deputy Keogh explained: “Subsidies within the scheme substantially reduce the cost of early learning and childcare and I’m very pleased in our own county of Mayo, 5,944 children benefitted from the scheme last year, an increase of 15% on 2024. The increase in uptake reflects Fine Gael in Government’s continued investment in the early learning and childcare sector, including a 53% increase in the minimum hourly National Childcare Scheme subsidy from September 2024.”

The National Childcare Scheme has undergone a significant number of enhancements in recent years, and new, lower maximum fee changes for families paying the highest prices — along with higher subsidies for lower income families — are on the way in September.

Deputy Keogh said she will continue to support private childcare providers in accessing the National Childcare Scheme, ensuring that families can benefit from reduced childcare costs regardless of whether they use community or privately run services. She emphasised that private providers play a vital role in delivering high quality early learning and childcare, and that helping them engage fully with the NCS is essential to meeting local demand and supporting working families.