- From: Department of Children, Disability and Equality
- Published on: 26 March 2026
- Last updated on: 26 March 2026
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley is encouraging people to attend the local Consultation on Early Learning and Care and School‑Age Childcare in their area as part of the National Conversation on Education.
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE), in partnership with County Childcare Committees, today announced details of the upcoming local consultation events.
Places are limited. Those interested in taking part can book a place online at gov.ie/LetsTalkEarlyYears.
The consultation process seeks views from parents, early years educators, school‑age childcare practitioners, childminders, providers and anyone interested in the issues.
It is the latest step in the National Conversation on Early Years which is already generating significant debate. New figures show that almost 12,000 responses were received during a national online survey on Early Years, which closed on 12 March.
In total, 51 local consultation events are being held across Ireland between 20–30 April 2026. Each local consultation event will run for approximately 1.5–2 hours. Participants will join small table groups focusing on three core themes (Accessibility, Affordability, Quality).
These local consultations offer the public an opportunity to:
- Share what is working well and what needs to change.
- Identify priorities for future investment and improvement.
- Ensure the voices of parents, early years educators, school-age childcare practitioners, childminders, providers and communities shape national policy.
- Contribute to an affordable, accessible, high‑quality early learning and care and school-age childcare system.
The consultation events will be delivered in collaboration with the 30 local City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs). Input gathered at local level will inform both Phase 2 of Shaping the Future—the Government’s Early Years Action Plan—and the successor to First 5, Ireland’s Whole‑of‑Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families.
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley said:
“More than 11,000 people have had their say online about the future of early years education. That is really impressive and now is the time for the local consultation stage of the Action Plan on Early Years Education.
“There will be 51 local consultation events hosted by City and County Childcare Committees in venues all across the country between 20 and 30 April 2026, as part of the National Conversation on Education.
“I am keen to hear the views of parents, early years educators, school-age childcare practitioners, childminders, providers and anyone with an interest in early learning and care or school-age childcare.
“I am committed to making early learning and care and school-age childcare affordable, accessible and high-quality.”
Encouraging participation in the consultation process, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said:
“Every child should grow up with the care, encouragement and learning opportunities they need to flourish. High‑quality early learning and care, and school-age childcare, are crucial in this respect. It is key that parents have access to these essential services, and that the dedicated professionals who provide those services are supported.
“Progress on Programme for Government commitments around affordability, accessibility and quality must continue to be shaped by evidence and by the voices of those directly involved. That is why a wide‑ranging public consultation process is now under way. We want to hear valuable insights from parents, educators, practitioners and providers across the country. I encourage everyone to make their voices heard.”
The National Conversation on Education: the First 5 years and School-Age Childcare has five key stages:
- Stage 1: A national online survey, which closed on the 12 March. Almost 12,000 responses were received.
- Stage 2: A nationally representative survey of 500 households with children under 14.
- Stage 3: A consultation exercise with children.
- Stage 4: Local consultation events, delivered by local City and County Childcare Committees.
- Stage 5: A national consultation event that will take place in June (The Shaping the Future National Forum: Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare).
A full list of the times and locations for the local consultation events is available online.
Those interested in taking part can book a place online at gov.ie/LetsTalkEarlyYears.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Shaping the Future
Shaping the Future: the Early Years Action Plan sets out plans to achieve key Programme for Government commitments on the affordability, quality, and accessibility of early learning and childcare and school-age childcare. The Action Plan adopts a phased approach that enables action to be taken in 2026 while allowing adequate time for a broad public consultation on longer-term actions.
The objectives of Shaping the Future are to:
- Reduce parental fees to a maximum of €200 per month over the lifetime of the Government, building on the combination of National Childcare Scheme subsidies and fee-control measures in Core Funding.
- Increase the supply of places, strengthening supply-side funding to support services’ sustainability and staff wages, while introducing State-led facilities to complement other measures to increase capacity.
- Widen opportunities for children with disabilities, extending the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) to children in age-groups outside the ECCE programme.
- Contribute to the reduction of child poverty, continuing roll-out of the Equal Start programme, and improving subsidies for lower-income families.
- Enhance the quality of provision, particularly through measures to support wages, working conditions and professional development of the workforce.
The Phase 1 report published last December documents actions that will be undertaken in 2026. The short-term actions in Phase 1 build on recent reforms to the National Childcare Scheme and Core Funding, and use existing policy mechanisms to strengthen affordability, access and quality. Further information can be found online.
Phase 2 actions will be undertaken from 2027 through to the end of 2029. Before Phase 2 actions can be specified, a broad public consultation is taking place in the first half of 2026, in line with the Programme for Government commitment. Phase 2 actions will then be published in Q4 2026. Additional data-gathering and analysis will also be undertaken to inform their development.
First 5
First 5 is a ten-year, whole-of-government strategy to improve the lives of babies, young children and their families, covering the period 2019-2028. It commits to major initiatives on family leave, children’s health services, parenting supports, child-friendly communities and early learning and care services among a broad range of actions. It aims to help make sure all children have positive early experiences and get a great start in life.
