Childcare was one of the key areas called into focus during the recent election, and one Irish organisation is making sure that momentum does not falter as discussions continue with regard to forming the new government.

 

Early Childhood Ireland has this week defined and distributed information on the ‘9 Childcare Essentials’ that the new government must review going forward, and is calling on our politicians to support their manifesto in the new Programme for Government.

 

Explaining the motivation behind sending the two-page document to all elected representatives, Dónal Geoghegan of Early Childhood Ireland said: “Childcare was a key issue in the general election, and parents and childcare professionals, quite rightly, expect the new government to build and to fund a childcare system that works…We’ve summarised what’s required down to nine key essentials, and we are urging those in power to put their weight and the required investment behind this.”

 

 

The 9 childcare essentials as defined by Early Childhood Ireland are:

 

Under 'Investment, Quality and Sustainability':

 

1. Increase investment in early childhood education and care to reach the OECD average of 0.8% by 2021, with additional investment of at least €100 million per year, each year. 

 

2. Conduct and publish an independent review of the real cost of providing quality childcare in private and community settings, taking into account the varying needs of children attending different types of childcare.

 

Through this, commit to: adjusting state supports to ensure quality childcare for low-income families, increasing financial subsidies under ECCE and relevant programmes to reflect the real cost of quality childcare, and ensuring that pay and conditions in childcare reflect the drive to professionalise and keep qualified staff in the sector. 

 

3. Drive quality throughout the sector by investing in the professionalisation of the workforce, with subsidised formal learning and the provision of five days Continuous Professional Development each year.  

 

Under 'Childcare for Under 3 Year Olds':

 

4. Introduce a Childcare Subsidy of €20 per week for children under three in childcare in 2017, where the state directly pays the provider or registered child-minder to subsidise the real cost of childcare, and increase the state’s contribution to €60 per week by 2021.  

 

Under 'Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)':

 

5. Ensure the success of the expansion of ‘free preschool’ (ECCE) so that all children can benefit from the age of three by providing additional supports to childcare providers to enable them to expand. 

 

Under ‘Out of School Care and Child-minding':

 

6. Introduce a new system to support and expand ‘out of school’ care for school-age children. This will include the introduction of quality standards, state subsidies and regulations for the sector.

 

7. Introduce regulations for child-minding to ensure that children receive the best quality care in their early years. 

 

Under 'Provide additional supports to Children with Additional Needs':

 

8. Implement the recommendations in the second report of the Interdepartmental Group on Investment in Childcare to ensure that children with additional needs are supported so that they can avail of good quality, inclusive childcare. 

 

Under 'Parental Leave':

 

9. Introduce paid parental leave in 2017 and increase the number of weeks so that children can be at home until they reach 12 months and, following maternity leave, both parents can share responsibility for looking after their child during this critical first year. 

 

Let’s hope for a positive response from the new government.

 

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