What the Proposed 6% Increase Means for Educators
More than 39,000 people who work in Irish creches, preschools, and after-school clubs could be getting a pay rise. The people who decide minimum wages for the sector have put forward a plan to increase the lowest hourly rates by an average of just over 6 percent .
That might not sound like much if you are used to hearing about big pay deals in other industries. But for a sector where many workers earn barely above the minimum wage, and where staff are leaving in droves for better-paid jobs, this is a significant moment.
Here is what is actually being proposed, who it affects, and what it means for the money in your pocket.
Who Decides These Things?
First, a quick explainer on how pay works in Irish childcare.
The government does not set wages for the sector. Instead, there is a group called the Joint Labour Committee. It is made up of people who represent employers and people who represent workers. They sit down together and agree on minimum pay rates for the sector .
When they agree, the rates go to the Labour Court. If the Labour Court is happy, they go to a government minister. The minister signs them into law. The result is called an Employment Regulation Order, or ERO .
Once an ERO is signed, it becomes the legal minimum. An employer in the sector cannot pay you less than that rate. They can pay you more, but not less .
This system has been in place for the Early Years sector for a while. The last big increase came in October 2025, when minimum rates went up by an average of 10 percent .
What Was Just Proposed?
The Joint Labour Committee has now put forward a new set of proposals. These would increase the minimum hourly rates by an average of just over 6 percent .
The proposals have been welcomed by Norma Foley, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. She has said she is committed to making sure the increases actually happen .
The government has already set aside €45 million in ring-fenced funding for this programme year. Ring-fenced means the money is specifically for this purpose and cannot be used for something else. That funding is there to help childcare services cover the cost of paying their staff more .
But here is the catch. That money only becomes available if new EROs are actually signed into law. The allocation is contingent on the proposals becoming binding orders .
So right now, this is a proposal. It is not yet law. But the signals from the government are positive.
What Does 6 Percent Actually Mean in Real Money?
Let us use the current rates to show you what a 6 percent increase would look like.
The current minimum for an Early Years Educator is €15.00 per hour. That came into effect in October 2025 .
A 6 percent increase on €15.00 would bring it to €15.90 per hour.
That is an extra 90 cents per hour. Over a 35-hour week, that is an extra €31.50 per week. Over a year, that is around €1,638 more before tax.
For a Lead Educator, the current minimum is €16.00 per hour. A 6 percent increase would bring that to €16.96, or almost €17 per hour.
For a Centre Manager, the current minimum is €19.00 per hour. A 6 percent increase would bring that to €20.14 per hour.
These numbers are examples to show you the scale. The exact new rates will depend on how the percentages are applied across the different job levels. The Joint Labour Committee proposes rates for each role separately, not a flat percentage for everyone .
Why Is This Happening Now?
The simple answer is that the sector has a serious problem keeping staff.
Pay in Irish childcare has been low for a long time. Many workers earn close to the minimum wage, even though they are responsible for the care and education of young children. The work is demanding, and the responsibility is high .
Because pay is low, people leave. They go to work in schools, as special needs assistants, or in completely different industries. One manager put it bluntly in a recent discussion: qualified graduates are choosing not to enter the sector at all because other jobs offer better pay, shorter hours, and more time off .
When staff leave, services struggle to stay open. They cannot find replacements. This affects parents too, because they cannot find a place for their child.
The government knows this. That is why it has been supporting the Joint Labour Committee process and putting money into Core Funding to help services pay better wages. The goal is to attract people into the sector and keep them there .
What Does This Mean for You?
If you work in an Early Years service that is part of Core Funding, this proposal could mean a pay rise. The exact amount depends on your role and your current rate of pay.
If you are already earning above the minimum rate for your role, the ERO does not automatically give you a raise. The ERO only sets a floor. Your employer is not legally required to increase your pay if you are already above the new minimum. But some employers choose to increase all rates to keep the pay structure fair.
If you are earning exactly the minimum rate for your role, you would see your pay go up to the new minimum once the ERO is signed.
If you work in a service that is not part of Core Funding, the ERO still applies to you. The ERO is law for the sector. But your employer will not get the ring-fenced government funding to help cover the cost. This could make things harder for some services.
What About Parents and Fees?
This is the question many parents will be asking. If staff get paid more, does that mean my childcare fees go up?
The government’s plan is designed to avoid that. The €45 million in ring-fenced funding is specifically there to help services cover the cost of higher wages without passing that cost on to parents .
The idea is simple. The government wants staff to be paid better. But it also wants childcare to stay affordable. So it is putting money into the system to pay for the wage increase, rather than asking parents to pay more.
Whether this works in practice is another question. Services are under financial pressure from many directions: rent, insurance, utilities, and all the other costs of running a business. If the ring-fenced funding does not cover the full cost of the wage increase, some services might struggle. Some might decide to leave Core Funding so they can charge higher fees.
But the intention is clear. The government does not want this pay rise to hit parents in the pocket.
When Will This Happen?
The proposals have just been put forward. They now need to go through the formal process.
First, the proposals go to the Labour Court for review. If the Labour Court approves them, they go to the minister for signing. Once signed, they become law .
The government has said it is hopeful the proposals will come into effect soon . But there is no confirmed date yet.
The last ERO for the sector was signed in October 2025 and took effect on 13 October 2025 . If this new process follows a similar timeline, the new rates could be in place before the end of the year. But that is not guaranteed.
If you want to know when the new rates come in, keep an eye on the Department of Children’s website and your union’s communications. The moment the ERO is signed, it will be public.
The Bigger Picture
This 6 percent proposal is part of a longer journey.
The government has committed to improving pay in the sector. The last increase was 10 percent. This one is just over 6 percent. Together, they represent a significant shift from where the sector was a few years ago.
But it is still not a lot of money in absolute terms. A minimum rate of around €15.90 per hour for an educator is still modest compared to what someone with similar responsibilities might earn in other sectors.
Some people argue that the current system is not working well enough. The union SIPTU has proposed a completely different approach, where the government directly pays wages for childcare staff, similar to how teachers are paid. Under that model, fees could drop to €56 per week for full-day care .
That is a much bigger change than a 6 percent increase. It is unlikely to happen soon. But it shows that the conversation about pay and affordability in Irish childcare is far from over.
For now, the 6 percent proposal is a real step forward. It will make a difference to thousands of workers. And it signals that the government is serious about investing in the people who care for and educate Ireland’s youngest children.
Early Years Ireland is an independent digital publication. We are not affiliated with any representative body or trade union. This article is for information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice.
If you have questions about how these changes affect your pay, contact your employer or your union representative.
