Creches in Dundrum, Ballinteer & Dublin 16

We list 16 services here in 3 areas: Dundrum, Ballinteer, Dublin 16. Between them they are registered with Tusla for up to 695 children. The list grows as we add services from Tusla’s register.

10 of the 16 services we list here include full-day care in their listed care type, including Absorbent Minds, Absorbent Minds Ballintyre, Bright Minds Childcare and Montessori School, Daisy Chain Montessori and Childcare Rathfarnham, Dundrum Montessori School, Karaville Montessori & Childcare and others. The others offer sessional or part-time care, often the free preschool year (ECCE).

Both. Dundrum village and Dundrum Town Centre sit on the boundary. Addresses around it use D14 or D16 depending on the street. We list Dundrum and Ballinteer services here whichever district their address uses.

Much of Rathfarnham, Knocklyon and Ballyboden is in Dublin 16 too. To keep each page focused we list those services on our Rathfarnham, Templeogue & Knocklyon page.

Yes. 6 services we list here have Montessori in their name: Bright Minds Childcare and Montessori School, Broadford Montessori Preschool, Daisy Chain Montessori and Childcare Rathfarnham, Dundrum Montessori School, Karaville Montessori & Childcare and Whitechurch Montessori. See also Montessori schools in Dublin.

Yes. A naíonra is a preschool run through Irish. We list 1 here: Naíonra Naithí.

Each service sets its own fees, so ask for a quote when you enquire. Services in the State’s Core Funding scheme can charge no more than €280 a week for a full-day place of 40 to 49 hours 59 minutes in 2026/27, and the universal NCS subsidy of €96.30 a week brings that to no more than €183.70 (gov.ie). See our guide to creche fees in Dublin.

The National Childcare Scheme can be used at any participating Tusla-registered provider. The universal subsidy is €2.14 an hour for up to 45 hours a week, and the income-assessed subsidy depends on your family’s circumstances (ncs.gov.ie). Services marked NCS above are flagged as participating; for the others, ask the provider. Our NCS calculator gives a weekly estimate.

A child must be 2 years and 8 months old on or before 31 August to start ECCE that September, and it gives 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 38 weeks (Citizens Information). For 2026/27, children born between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2023 are eligible (ncs.gov.ie). Read how ECCE works with the NCS.

Early years services must register with Tusla, which publishes inspection reports. Search Tusla’s early years register by the service’s name or Eircode. Our guide to Tusla inspection reports explains how to read them. Our creche ratios guide sets out the staffing rules inspectors check.