Minister For Children’s Actions Pushing Thousands of Childcare Facilities over the Brink
Speaking in support of Childcare Providers who were forced to protest again today outside the Dail Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín TD stated;
“This is a sector on brink of walkout, and/or collapse. Providers are being hit with funding cuts, whilst the government seems oblivious to their needs. Unless the sector is viable it will not exist in the future. It is as simple as that. All the talk of caps on costs to parents are meaningless unless parents can actually find a ECCE provider for their child”.
“Running costs of providers have increased 70% in the last 11 years whilst providers fees are less now than what they were in 2010. Childcare workers are being paid less than the living wage due to the chronic lack of funding in the sector. Graduate educators are actually being put off working in the sector due to pay and conditions. Providers shutting their doors after 20 years of service. The Minister needs to act now, or face the walkout of a sector teetering on the edge.”
“Since 2017, nearly 800 childcare providers have closed their doors for good. The government-contractor model of the sector where incomes are capped, providers are underfunded, and children’s pre-school education is left detrimentally impacted, is unsustainable. New CORE funding proposals were meant to mark a turn for the better for the sector. Instead, the proposals were delayed for months leaving 4,700 providers in limbo.
“Months delayed, the proposals have finally been published – but to devastating effect. ECCE providers are seeing their incomes slashed by thousands of euros. Notwithstanding inflation and the cost of living crisis, the funding does nothing to increase wages for childcare workers in the sector or to support these struggling small businesses. We are urging the Taoiseach to take control of this situation and act before its too late”.
CRÍOCH
