New figures show up to 40,000 children under the age of three are on crèche waiting lists nationwide, with similar issues for parents who need after-school care.
It marks a rise in figures released earlier this year, which saw just over 33,000 under the age of three on waiting lists.
Eleanor Burnhill speaks to one mother in Co Dublin who is struggling to find a childcare place for her young son.
Aisling Farragher lives in Donabate, one of the fastest-growing areas of Fingal in north Dublin. Despite months of making inquiries, she has been struggling to find a childcare place for her son Teddy, who is currently seven months old.
Ms Farragher works in Dublin city centre, and has to return to work in January. Her husband works in Meath, so they already have long commutes and no family living nearby.
Ms Farragher has only been able to get a childcare place in Swords, which is not in their direction of travel each morning.
Tens of thousands of children are heading into the new academic year without early years and childcare places, according to new figures.
The latest statistics from Pobal, which administers early years programmes, show up to 40,000 children under the age of three are on crèche waiting lists nationwide.
When the couple bought their house six years ago, they had expected that a crèche would be part of the complex, but it has not materialised.
Watch: Aisling Farragher says out of 14 crèches only one spot free in new year
Ms Farragher said: "So far, I've looked at 14 different options of crèches, and only one spot is available for early in the new year, so that's kind of our only option. At the minute, we don't have family weekly or anything like that."
The crèche is in Swords, which means her husband will have to stop there on his commute to Meath.
"We both have to go back to work, so we just have to take this one option. It's not ideal," she said.
"It means one of us is going to have to get into the car and go in the opposite direction to work, to drop them off to crèche and collect them from crèche, and typically in rush hour traffic as well.
"So, it'll mean more time in the car and a lot more traffic and probably delays getting to work as well.
"So we're going to have to speak to our employers and make sure they understand our situation."
Local Labour councillor Corina Johnston said Ms Farragher's situation is not uncommon in the area.
"I'm inundated with calls, phone calls, texts, emails, and parents very concerned they're unable to secure childcare places in the Donabate area.
"Many parents have to leave Donabate to actually secure childcare places, which is unacceptable. We have parents travelling as far as Balbriggan, and some parents are unable to source, particularly childcare places for babies under two years of age, so it's leaving parents very stressed."
She has written to Fingal County Council over concerns that some developers are seeking to change planning conditions providing childcare facilities, in favour of more housing.
She said that whilst new housing is needed, the infrastructure is not catching up.
"In particular, schools, public transport are not coming to meet the needs of growing area. There is a challenge for developers in terms of vision of and selling the premises on. It's very difficult them to find a provider that will actually take on the building and facilitate a small crèche."
Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland Frances Byrne agreed and said this is not just a planning issue, but an issue to do with the cost of staffing and fitting out such premises.
"The great challenge that early childhood Ireland's members around the country face is even if they have planning permission, even if they have the ability to expand or reopen a room for babies, for example, what stops them every single time is staffing.
"So, these plans that Government has to address these waiting lists are very welcome, alongside fee reduction, which are the two major parts of the Programme for Government, but neither is going to succeed unless we address staffing.
"And the big elephant in the room is the disparity of wages between early years educators and primary school teachers."
