More than half of all creche and afterschool services in Galway lost a member of staff last year, in a sector where most staff receive little more than minimum wage.
An analysis of the sector by Pobal shows 120 services in Galway city and county’s Early Years and School Age Care system collectively lost 295 staff in 2025, with 243 of them – more than four out of every five – qualified to certificate, degree or postgrad standard.
The figures have been published at a sensitive time during pay talks between unions and bodies representing the sector, and when parents begin to thinking about the autumn, school term arrangements.
SIPTU is planning to ballot its almost 6,000 workers in childcare and early education after earlier this month failing to agree pay rates with Childhood Services Ireland (CSI ), an Ibec body representing larger and chain childcare providers, and the Federation of Early Childhood Providers (FECP ) which represents many stand-alone services. The bodies proposed differentiated pay rises for their overwhelmingly female staff based on qualification and seniority, from €0.70 to €2.50 per hour, according to media reports.
Last week, Early Childhood Ireland said the exodus of staff in Galway, and across the country, was putting the entire network of pre-school services, day care, breakfast clubs, creches, Montessori schools and after school services at ‘grave risk’.
The advocacy organisation reports most staff in the sector are paid €15 per hour. It wants the government to introduce pay parity, double premium payments for graduates, and introduce three paid training days for staff annually.
“If primary or second-level schools were facing similar staffing challenges, there would be uproar and immediate intervention,” says Frances Byrne, policy director at Early Childhood Ireland.
“This issue can no longer be ignored. To strengthen the sustainability of the system, the Government must prioritise improved pay and conditions for this workforce in the upcoming Budget, ensuring those providing care and education to our youngest citizens are treated fairly and with respect,” she said.
The latest available data from Pobal shows that among staff captured in turnover figures in Galway, 28.8 per cent left the sector entirely, with almost 40 per cent of those qualified to degree level.
“The Government cannot afford to ignore the exodus of experienced, qualified staff in early years and school age care settings any longer,” continued Frances Byrne.
“Every child deserves the best start in life, but high levels of staff turnover in settings mean children are missing out on consistent relationships, stable routines and high-quality experiences. Issues in recruitment and retention in Galway, and nationwide, are creating uncertainty that can lead to room closures and undermines plans for expansion, locally and nationally.
“The average staff turnover rate in Galway is 21 per cent. That means Early Years and School Age Care settings are losing a worrying number of their staff each year.
“Bringing Early Years and School Age Care graduates in line with public pay would help ensure every child is guaranteed a place in their community and stem the tide of qualified staff leaving for better-paid jobs in education and other sectors.”
Early Childhood Ireland said that, alongside making Early Years services more affordable for parents, the Government must invest in the system to ensure its long-term viability.
“Much of the annual pre-Budget discussions revolve around reducing fees, which is understandably a big priority for parents,” said Byrne. “But this short-term way of thinking does not serve this generation or any future generation of children. Even if the Government spends the next decade reducing parents’ bills incrementally, this won’t do anything to improve wages for staff, many of whom are paid just €15 per hour.”
