Tusla crèche inspection reports: how to read one

Every crèche, pre-school, Montessori and playgroup in Ireland has to be registered with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and Tusla's Early Years Inspectorate publishes what its inspectors find. On 29 September 2026 we held 6,650 of those reports on 3,878 services, 1,757 of them from inspections in the last 12 months. Each service's page here links every report and shows the planning applications around the building. This guide explains the three kinds of report, how to read the findings, and where planning permission comes in.

Who inspects, and under what law

Early years services are regulated under Part VIIA of the Child Care Act 1991 and the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016. A service must be registered before it opens, and it is inspected against the regulations: governance and management, staffing and qualifications, the care and wellbeing of children, the premises, health and safety, and records. Tusla can attach conditions to a registration, and in serious cases remove a service from the register.

The inspectorate checks the service, not the building's planning status. A registered crèche can still be operating without the planning permission its premises need, and the reverse. The two regimes meet only when a council asks about childcare in a planning application, or when a parent or neighbour checks both.

The three kinds of report

The register labels each report. Of the 6,650 we hold:

• Inspection Report (5,941). A routine or unannounced inspection of a registered service. This is the one to read first: it covers the regulations inspected on the day and the inspector's findings on each.
• Change in Circumstance (509). Filed when something material changes: a new registered provider, a move, a change to the rooms or the number of places. Read it to see what changed and when.
• New Service (199). The inspection before a new service is registered, to check that the premises and arrangements are fit for purpose.

Reading the findings

A report lists the regulations the inspector looked at and, for each, whether the service was found compliant or not compliant, with the evidence. Where something was not compliant, the provider's response follows: what they will do and by when. Four things are worth checking:

1. The date. Services are inspected every few years, not every year. A report from 2021 tells you less than one from this summer, and a newer one may exist. The page here lists them newest first.
2. Which regulations were not compliant. A records or paperwork finding is different from one on supervision, staffing ratios or the premises. Read the evidence, not only the heading.
3. Whether the provider's actions were followed through. A later report on the same service will say whether earlier findings were addressed.
4. Changes in circumstance. A new provider or a move means the older inspection reports describe a different operation.

The reports are Tusla's words, and we link them rather than summarise them. Tusla publishes them without an open licence, so each service's page here sends you to the original.

Where planning comes in

A new crèche almost always needs planning permission: a new building, an extension, or a change of use from a house, shop or office. Councils assess traffic and drop-off, noise, outdoor play space and hours, and many attach conditions limiting the number of children or the opening hours. Large housing schemes are often required to include a crèche. The guidelines councils work from ask for one facility for about every 75 homes.

For a parent, the planning file answers questions an inspection report does not: how many children the permission allows, whether the outdoor area was a condition, and what is planned next door. For a neighbour, the application is where to raise concerns about a new crèche, within the five-week observation window.

Check a crèche near you

Each service with an inspection report has a page, for example Tigers Childcare, Cabinteely, with its reports, its registration details and the planning applications within 100 m. The crèche planning guide covers the applications themselves, and the Explorer shows everything lodged near an address.

Report counts from Tusla's register as we held it on 29 September 2026; planning figures from the councils' registers (the live callout refreshes hourly). This guide describes the reports, it does not rate any service. Check the latest report on Tusla's website and ask the service directly.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find a crèche's Tusla inspection report?

On Tusla's website, which publishes a report for each registered early years service. Each crèche's page here lists every report we hold, newest first, with a link to the original.

What does "not compliant" mean in a Tusla inspection report?

The inspector found that the service did not meet a specific regulation on the day of the inspection. The report gives the evidence and the provider's response, including the actions and dates they committed to.

How often are crèches inspected by Tusla?

Not on a fixed yearly cycle. Services are inspected before registration, when their circumstances change, and in routine or unannounced inspections, often a few years apart. Check the date of the latest report.

Does a crèche need planning permission?

Usually. A new crèche building, an extension, or a change of use from a house, shop or office needs permission from the council. Registration with Tusla is a separate requirement and does not replace it.

What is a "Change in Circumstance" report?

A report Tusla files when something material changes at a registered service, such as a new provider, new premises or a change to the rooms or number of places.