"We have dropped the ball on this," says local Cllr.
Kildare has the fewest community crèches in Ireland, according to new figures presented at a seminar hosted by the Kildare County Childcare Committee.
With just eight state-funded community crèches across the county, Kildare lags far behind other neighbouring regions.
Wicklow has 22, Meath has 19, and Dublin City leads with 128 community crèches.
Cllr Bill Clear said the findings are alarming given Kildare's rapid population growth.
The county is the second fastest-growing in the country and has the fourth-highest concentration of children and young people in Ireland, trailing only Dublin and Cork.
State-funded community crèches offer vital services, including childcare for babies, after-school care, and support for children with special needs.
The lack of facilities in Kildare has left many families struggling to find affordable childcare, with Councillor Clear stressing that the situation needs immediate attention.
"We have dropped the ball on this," said Clear, pointing out that developers are currently required to build crèches when constructing developments with 75 or more houses. However, these crèches are often sold off and require expensive fit-outs, costs that are ultimately passed on to parents.
Clear suggested an alternative solution: allowing developers to pay a special development levy towards the construction of larger, community-based crèches rather than building small, private facilities.
He noted that similar levies have been successfully used to fund active travel infrastructure in other areas.
"A community crèche funded by a levy would better serve the wider population and reduce the pressure on local infrastructure," he added.
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