Almost two-thirds of the public in Connaught agree that the education of children aged under five is as important as the education of children aged over five, according to the Early Childhood Ireland Barometer 2025 released today.
The eighth annual Early Childhood Ireland Barometer – based on a national opinion poll conducted by RED C – also reveals overwhelming support for access to high-quality Early Years and School Age Care for all children in their communities.
This year’s Barometer reports that in Connaught:
- 71% of the public agrees that every child should be guaranteed access to high-quality, inclusive Early Years and School Age Care in their community.
- 61% believe that the education of children under five is as important as that of older children.
- 71% support the free provision of Early Years education for all children.
Overwhelming public support for Early Years
Speaking about the Barometer results, Frances Byrne, Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland, said, “The perception of Early Years and School Age Care has shifted significantly during our eight years of polling. While it was once viewed primarily as a support for working parents, most of the public now understands its crucial role in children’s development, as this year’s Barometer results demonstrate.”
The Barometer 2025 shows overwhelming public support (71%) in Connaught for access to high-quality Early Years and School Age Care for all children, with a matching percentage in favour of free Early Years education.
Commenting on this, Ms Byrne said, “We welcome this recognition from the public, and while the government has promised to take significant steps to improve affordability for parents, more needs to be done to address enduring issues in Connaught, including the recruitment and retention of staff, and waiting lists.”
“With thousands of children awaiting crèche places across the country, it’s clear we are nowhere near delivering the access that over two-thirds of people in Connaught believe every child should have,” she added, “So the government needs to do more than just reduce fees. Major progress in capacity planning at local and national levels is essential.”
Improved family leave
The 2025 Barometer also highlights strong support for parents to receive financial assistance to stay at home with their child for the first 12 months, with 65% of the Irish public in favour, up 3% from last year’s Barometer.
“Research shows benefits for children’s development from having a parent at home in the first year of life, and we have been calling for the government to guarantee 66% of a parent or guardian’s income, in line with European Commission recommendations, to ensure that parents can afford to stay at home during this critical period,” she continued.
Terms and conditions for educators
The poll also shows that over half of Irish adults agree that staff in crèches who have university degrees should have the same terms and conditions as teachers in primary schools.
“Guaranteeing parity of pay and conditions for Early Years and School Age Care graduates would not only offer educators in Connaught deserved recognition but also address the critical staffing shortage we are experiencing in Ireland. Without parity of pay and conditions, we will continue to lose talented Early Years and School Age Care graduates to other sectors”, Ms Byrne added.
“Early Childhood Ireland’s 8th annual Barometer was undertaken as new reports from the OECD and the European Commission show the legacy of underinvestment here in Ireland, despite recent progress. Addressing affordability is not enough, as we have underlying problems which impact settings in Connaught every day. To strengthen their sustainability and to underpin the Early Years and School Age Care system, as it moves towards a publicly funded model, the new government needs to address funding and staffing issues urgently. Every child in every community should have access to high-quality provision and only political leadership will get Ireland there,” Ms Byrne concluded
