The Minister for Children says some childcare providers can increase their fees from today.
Roderic O'Gorman says any creche owners who were affected by a fee freeze can now raise their rates to the average in their county.
It comes as childcare providers are considering withdrawing from core funding unless the Government grants more ECCE funding as well as allowing a €33.30 weekly fee rise.
Around 30 childcare facilities closed in Cork last year and last week Cobh Family Resource Centre announced it would be closing its preschool and afterschool services.
Minister for Children Roderic O'Gorman says providers can now apply to increase their fees:
"We always listened to the issues that childcare providers raised with us, and one thing they did raise was about the fee freeze, and saying that for some services, who'd maybe last raised their fee, and the mid 2015/2016, that they were in a non equal position. So we've listened to that. And from today, childcare providers whose fees are below the average for their county can make an application to actually increase their fees to bring it up to that average."
