With the next general election on the horizon, politicians and parties have been coming out of the woodwork with some fairly attractive proposals, with childcare at the centre of their manifestos.
While any moves to improve investment and support in this area are welcome, childcare experts have this week highlighted some major flaws in provisions that urgently require attention.
Early Childhood Ireland is one such organisation that has expressed concern this week, and they have drawn attention to flaws in those childcare proposals which are actually based on under-investment in the ECCE (free pre-school year) scheme.
The organisation’s CEO, Teresa Heeney, said that while it is always positive to see parties addressing childcare issues, it is clear that they have overestimated the sustainability of the ECCE scheme.
“Nowhere is this under-investment more evident than in the low rate of pay for early years educators at an average of €10.27 per hour. We would challenge the political parties to stop and to adjust the low base on which they are making their forecasts for investment in childcare in Ireland,” she said.
Describing the childcare sector as “a pressure-cooker of high expectations and low investment”, Ms Heeney went on to outline exactly what our political leaders need to take into account in order to make real progress in the area:
- While most parents in Ireland cover the entire cost of childcare for kids under the age of three, without any Government subsidy, parents in Finland pay an average of 14% of the total cost.
- Early education and care is of huge benefit to a child, and qualifications are directly linked to high quality staff. While many professionals in the childcare sector have degrees, they are receiving an average wage of just €10.27 an hour.
- Due to under-investment in the ECCE scheme, it has become more and more difficult for childcare providers to keep their doors open and retain good staff.
- An investment of at least an additional €100 million each year over the next five years will be needed to address these issues in the childcare sector.
“While the pledges for increased investment in childcare are going in the right direction, to build a childcare system into the future that is high quality, affordable, accessible and sustainable, our new government…must be prepared to up the ante significantly in terms of future investment,” added Ms Heeney.
