How much do you pay for childcare in Leitrim?

A new report which provides an overview of the 4,300 facilities providing childcare services across Ireland shows that the average weekly cost of a full time place in a childcare facility in  Leitrim is €152.67.

Nationally, the report shows that Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown had highest childcare costs in the State with a weekly average fee of €213.94 for a full-time place, while Co Monaghan was the least expensive with a weekly rate of €142.14. The national average is €167.03 per week.

Overall, between September 2015 and June 2016, 73,964 children enrolled in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) free preschool year. This represents an increase of 13% on the previous year and increased expenditure on the scheme by 28%,up to €178 million.

It is estimated that 25,700 staff work in the childcare sector, half of which are employed on a part-time basis.

The report was compiled and prepared by Pobal and launched by Katherine Zappone, TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

To supplement the report, Pobal have developed a range of interactive dashboards. These dashboards reflect a range of topics covered in the report and allow readers, for the first time, access data and information at county level based on the following topics.