Parents are paying up to 8% more for childcare this year.
Data collected from 4,000 centres across the country show average full-time fees are now costing €184 per week - up 3.6% compared to last year.
The average cost of part-time childcare, meanwhile, is now at €110 - up 8%.
The lowest full-time fees for children aged 2-3 were recorded in Co Carlow at €148 per week, with the highest in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown in Dublin at €251.
Children's Minister Katherine Zappone said: “A key priority for me as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is to reduce the cost of high-quality early learning and care and school-age childcare to parents and bring it into line with EU norms.
"The cost to families of early learning and care and school-age childcare remains higher in Ireland than in other OECD countries - with wide variation in fees across the country."
She urged applicable parents to take advantage of the new National Childcare Scheme, which will offer some families subsidies of up to €145 per child per week.
However, she acknowledged more needs to be done - with work underway to explore ways of controlling the fees.
