Laois childcare providers out in force at massive Early Years Alliance protest in Dublin

Laois childcare workers and providers are among the thousands of people who have turned out in Dublin to demonstrate the crisis facing the sector in Ireland.

Breed Davies, Tony Tynan, Mary Quinn, Bernie Tynan from Tyan's playschool were there with Orlagh McCrory who runs the Den. 

The Maples Creche was also there as was Magic Moments. Kilminchy Schoolhouse was on the march as were staff from Just 4 Kids in Portarlington. Staff from the Village Creche in Ballyroan and Tir na nOg Preschool in Borris in Ossory were also among a crowd of up to 10,000 who took to the streets.

Many services in Laois joined the Laois Cluster Group Federation of Early Childhood Providers ahead of taking part in the Early Years Alliance Protest on Wednesday, February 2.

Sonya Duggan of the Kilminchy Schoolhouse in Portlaoise explained the reasons for the march in a statement issued in the build-up to the protest.

"High-quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services enhance children’s holistic development (including educational outcomes), support families, promote social inclusion, reduce child poverty and enhance future employability. Affordable services facilitate workforce participation for parents;, particularly for women.
 
"Despite these benefits and significant increases in investment, Ireland spends just 0.2% of GDP on ECEC. This is far below the European average of 0.8% and the UNICEF recommended benchmark of 1%. This funding gap has resulted in high fees for parents, extremely low pay for staff and a lack of financial sustainability for service providers. This directly undermines the government’s policy objectives and the benefits of high quality, affordable ECEC services.
 
"Due to insufficient levels of government funding, ECEC services in Ireland have the highest fees in Europe, while being the lowest paid sector of the economy. Early Years Educators earn on average €11.46 per hour; 61% earn less than the Living Wage of €12.30 per hour. Too many services cannot recruit and retain qualified and dedicated staff.

"Only 9% intend to work in the profession in five years’ time if “things stay the same”. Unsurprisingly this has resulted in an average staff turnover of 23% per year; diminishing the quality of experience for children and the sustainability of services.

"The current ECEC funding model does not work. Providers are put in an almost impossible position whereby the two goals of affordability and maintaining high-quality standards are placed in opposition to each other. Only the development of a new funding model will facilitate the substantial investment needed to reduce fees, increase pay and ensure the sustainability and quality of services that are delivered in the best interest of children," said the statement.

Ms Duggan set out the following Early Years Alliance demands on the next Government:

1. Double funding  to ECEC services on an incremental basis over the lifetime of the next government, starting in September 2020, bringing Ireland closer to the EU average
 
2. Provide the necessary funding and mechanism for a Living Wage for Early Years Educators in 2020 as a first step towards professional pay and recognition
 
3. Introduce a new funding model that supports affordability and accessibility for parents, high quality experiences for children   and professional pay and conditions for educators, as committed to in First 5, the whole of Government strategy for babies, young children and their families
 
4. Establish a streamlined inspection process with a graded compliance system
 
5. Support effective policy development by engagement with the ECEC sector through respectful negotiation and a co-design approach

Ms Duggan said the Early Years Alliance is an umbrella group consisting of Association of Childhood Professionals, the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, the National Community Childcare Forum, the National Childhood Network, Seas Suas and SIPTU.