The level of childcare provision in some disadvantaged areas will need to be trebled over the next 10 years, according to the director of the new Office of Minister for Children.
Sylda Langford was speaking at a conference in Dublin yesterday on the Government's €575 million childcare programme.
Details of the implementation of the programme were outlined by Minister for Children Brian Lenihan, who described the Government commitment to provide 50,000 new childcare places and 17,000 new childcare workers, over the next five years as "bold and imaginative".
Ms Langford said there would be a change in approach to the provision of childcare to that adopted since 2000 by the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme. The approach thus far had been essentially "reactive".
"The aim will be to try to ensure that any parent who needs childcare will be able to access it."
The county or city childcare committees would set out to identify the needs within their areas in a proactive way, where up until now they were responding to requests for funding.
Provision would be across all areas but need was greater in disadvantaged areas with high population density, she said.
