More than 5,800 Louth children now benefitting from National Childcare Scheme

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, has welcomed a rise in the number of children benefiting from the National Childcare Scheme, with over 5,800 children in County Louth now receiving subsidies aimed at helping to reduce the cost of early learning and childcare.

In County Louth, the National Childcare Scheme has seen a notable increase, with the number of children benefiting rising from 5,287 in 2024 to 5,820 in 2025, marking a 10% growth.

Nationally, new data shows that a total of around 245,000 children benefitted from the scheme in 2025 – a 12% increase on around 218,000 children who benefited from the scheme in  2024.

There were significant increases in the number of children benefitting from NCS subsidies in Clare (18% increase), Offaly (18% increase) and Roscommon (16% increase). Meanwhile, the number of subsidised children has increased by 9% in Dublin city and an average of 13% in other areas of County Dublin.

Minister Foley said:

“This increase in the number of children benefitting from the National Childcare Scheme is a positive development. The National Childcare Scheme has undergone a significant number of enhancements in recent years and we will continue to build on that progress. New, lower maximum fee changes for families paying the highest prices and higher subsidies for lower income families are on the way in September. I am committed to ensuring families across the country have access to more affordable early learning and childcare.”

The recently published Shaping the Future: The Early Years Action Plan contains details of changes to the income-assessed National Childcare Scheme subsidies which the government say will improve affordability for up to 47,000 children from low-income families.

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These changes, which will be introduced in September 2026, will increase the lower income threshold from €26,000 to €34,000 and the upper threshold from €60,000 to €68,000. The multiple child discount will also be increased, which reduces parents’ reckonable income for the Income Assessed subsidy.

There will also be reductions in the highest fees charged to parents across the country from September 2026, with the lowering of the maximum fees that Core Funding Partner Services can charge. These new, lower maximum fee levels will be announced in the coming months when full financial returns from providers have been analysed.