At the end of 2023, Chartered Accountants Ireland set up a series of focus groups to gather members' views on childcare, and the findings were stark. Parents are coming against rising costs and dwindling space in creches, as well as the current system's impact on careers, working days, and business operations. In part one of a two-part series, Sinead Donovan, Emma Fidgeon-Kavanagh, and Cróna Clohisey discuss what could be done to improve the childcare system in Ireland.