This release is categorised as a CSO Frontier Series Output. Particular care must be taken when interpreting the statistics in this release as it may use new methods which are under development and/or data sources which may be incomplete, for example, new administrative data sources.
In Early Learning and Care (ELC) pre-primary settings, 96.8% of staff ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that the children in their setting valued them in 2024. For staff in ELC settings for children under age 3, 98.5% felt this way.
Over nine in ten ELC managers said they enjoyed working at this ELC setting in 2024.
Around seven in ten ELC managers and ELC staff ‘disagreed’ or ‘strongly disagreed’ with the statement ‘I think that ELC staff are valued in society’.
Almost half of staff in ELC pre-primary settings (49.1%) and more than six in ten staff in ELC settings for children under age 3 (61.4%) reported experiencing ‘quite a bit’ or ‘a lot’ of stress at work.
ELC managers reported the biggest hindrance to the provision of a quality early learning and care environment for children was a shortage of qualified staff.
Around eight in ten managers from ELC settings agreed that children have ‘quite a bit’ or ‘a lot’ of opportunities to actively participate in decisions in their settings.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (02 December 2025) published Early Learning and Care Settings (OECD TALIS 2024).
The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) Starting Strong is an international, large-scale survey of staff and managers in early learning and care (ELC) settings. TALIS Starting Strong is conducted under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
This is a Frontier Series Output and care must be taken when interpreting the statistics in this release. Care should be taken when reporting these results given the small sample size and the low response rates. The data from Ireland, while included in the OECD’s international report, has been rated insufficient by their adjudication process. Further information on the adjudication process and the methodology underpinning this release can be found in the Background Notes.
Commenting on today’s release, Bridget Hearne, Statistician in the Social Statistics Directorate, said:
This is the first time that Ireland has taken part in the OECD TALIS Starting Strong survey. CSO undertook this survey with support from the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. The survey collected data from staff and managers in early learning and care (ELC) settings, which are registered centre-based settings serving pre-primary children and children under age 3.
The survey focused on the professional development of the staff and managers and their work with young children. We also asked managers and staff about their job satisfaction and wellbeing, the ELC environment, and gained an understanding of the positive impact that staff can have on the children in their care. As this is the first iteration of this survey in Ireland, the data in this Frontier release represents a new baseline for an emerging evidence base in the ELC sector.
ELC Settings
In our chapter on ELC settings, ELC managers agreed that there is a collaborative culture in their setting. Over eight in ten managers from pre-primary settings (81.5%) and over seven in ten managers from settings for children under age 3 (73.7%) agreed that, in their setting, this collaborative culture was characterised by mutual support. More than half of pre-primary settings (50.8%) and more than six in ten settings for children under age 3 (66.5%) reported that in the 12 months prior to the survey, children had been placed on waiting lists for a setting place that had not yet become available.
ELC Managers
When asked about barriers to participation in professional development, around eight in ten ELC managers (82.1% of managers in pre-primary settings and 76.5% of managers in settings for children under age 3) ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that the biggest barrier to leader participation in professional development activities was a lack of time due to other commitments or responsibilities.
ELC setting managers also reported experiencing high levels of stress in work - seven in ten (70.3%) leaders from pre-primary settings and close to eight in ten (79.4%) managers from settings for children under age 3 reported experiencing ‘quite a bit’ or ‘a lot’ of stress in their work.
ELC Staff
When ELC staff were asked about their job satisfaction over nine in ten (94.6% of staff in pre-primary settings, 93.9% of staff in settings for children under age 3) ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that they enjoyed working at their setting.
Around three quarters of ELC staff (73.6% of staff in pre-primary settings, 78.5% of staff in settings for children under age 3) were dissatisfied with the salary they received from work.