Pringle: Childcare providers struggling with lack of funding

Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, said childcare providers are struggling, as he supported a call on Government for an equitable local and regional spread of affordable, quality services in the childcare and nursing home sectors.

Addressing the Dáil on Thursday, Deputy Pringle said: “Unfortunately, I have been made aware of numerous Early Childhood Education and Childcare services that are closing their doors for good in June. This includes full-day, part-time and ECCE sessional only services.

“It has also been brought to my attention that there are services on the Tusla register that have been closed for up to two years now. And Tusla have been notified, so these should have been removed at the time, but somehow they are still included as ‘operational’ because they have not been removed from this register. So I’m wondering: Can we rely on or trust the figures that are being given in relation to closed services?”

The deputy was speaking in support of the Independent group Motion re Challenges Facing the Childcare and Nursing Home Sectors. He thanked his colleague, Deputy Marian Harkin, and her staff for bringing forward the motion and said he supported its call on Government “to put in place specific policies to ensure that, in the childcare and nursing home sectors, there is an equitable local and regional spread of affordable, quality services”.

Deputy Pringle said: “Our childcare sector is in crisis. Childcare providers are struggling with a severe lack of funding and a lack of qualified staff available.

“Social Justice Ireland have reported that one out of every two childcare workers earned below the Living Wage for 2021, despite the increasing demands on childcare workers to improve their skills and qualifications.

“Many childcare services are experiencing issues with degrees and qualifications now not being recognised and are subsequently losing out on funding. This will have dire consequences for the viability of childcare services going forward.

“Childcare providers also need to be able to hire SNAs, who have some kind of experience, to work with children with additional needs. Childcare providers cannot be inclusive and ensure safe levels of staff at the same time. When children go to primary school they’re provided with an SNA and this should also be the case for childcare facilities. Childcare providers have repeatedly communicated their needs and it is on the government now to address these needs,” he said.

The deputy said Government also needs to increase the rate of core funding and end the fee freeze immediately for those signed up to core funding, especially those who have been in a historical fee freeze since 2017; and in his remarks also repeated a further series of calls for supports in a number of areas that childcare providers and workers have made for some time.

Deputy Pringle said: “Parental subsidy increases via the NCS Scheme announced in the budget last year should also have been implemented from January and parents should not have to wait until September to see this increase, especially given that many are severely affected by the cost-of-living crisis,” he said.

The deputy said: “The government needs to start listening to the childcare providers and workers who have been trying to communicate these issues for a long time. If we want a fair and equitable society, we need to ensure that our citizens have access to essential services, preferably state-funded services, but at the very least accessible and affordable services by providers and workers that are properly funded and supported.”