Daycare fees for babies are likely to become much more expensive next year when new rules on the number of members of staff come into effect.

From January 2019 a creche must have one member of staff per three babies up to the age of one, rather than four as at present. This means daycare centres have to take on more staff and that will make them more expensive.

Creche director Erik Vlutters told the AD on Wednesday that in some cases, fees may rise by 15% to 20%. ‘There is no evidence that the standards of care will actually improve either,’ he told the paper.

While the state has made €200m available to help fund this, and other changes, parents will end up paying more, daycare centres say. While parents do get help with paying daycare fees, the increase is unlikely to cover the full cost of the rise in fees.

Vlutters is also concerned about where daycare centres will find the extra staff. ‘We already have difficulty meeting the current regulations,’ he said.