National Pyjama Day 2023

On your Behalf

On your Behalf

Since 12 March, when the Taoiseach announced Covid-19 measures including the immediate closure of crèches, Early Childhood Ireland has been working on several fronts for our members. Given the difficult times we are in, we have been proactive when possible, but as the government has introduced several unexpected and major policies, we have also been reacting to these, with members’ best interests and the sustainability of the sector at the forefront of our concerns.

Early Childhood Ireland has continuously urged the Minister, her department and the rest of government to recognise the value of our sector and as one which is essential to the recovery of our economy. When the Minister announced the special wage subsidy scheme for our sector, we issued a special call-out to members for queries on the potential scheme and we made a submission to the department based on these and urged them to update the FAQs urgently.  Thank you again to the many members who got in touch with us. We also liaised with all the relevant politicians to seek their support for our members and your concerns.  Regretfully, the progress has been much slower than promised and it is only this week, that the Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme is being made available to the sector for the first time.  

 

It is not helpful or acceptable that our sector was discussed in such a poorly considered way on Primetime last evening while there are still no clear plans around providing childcare for frontline workers and we are responding accordingly today. When the Covid-19 emergency began, there was immediate and considerable media and political interest in the issue of childcare support for front line staff. In the absence of any consultation structures, Early Childhood Ireland has made two submissions to DCYA, first on March 14 and again on April 9. Our chief concerns were that no matter which type of support scheme was established by government, that there would be no mandatory participation, that where possible the approach taken would work in a way that was best for children, that the sector would have the resources and protective equipment required to ensure the safety of everyone involved and that the link between employers and staff in our sector would need to be maintained.

We have also been working with the Alliance for Insurance Reform to ensure a positive outcome from insurers in relation to insurance rebates and possible premium extensions. We are close to a resolution on these issues and we will keep you updated.

Last week, the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael parties published a joint draft document to facilitate negotiations with others on a programme for government.  Early Childhood Ireland is already in touch with members of the Oireachtas to seek their support for the early years and school age care sector during the negotiations.  The draft document refers to childcare under the heading of “A New Social Contract”, and states ‘Reform and modernise the childcare sector, to improve accessibility, reduce costs, raise standards, and provide childcare workers with a sustainable career pathway.’  Early Childhood Ireland is using this opportunity to reiterate and situate our pre-election asks while taking account of the radically altered circumstances that our sector finds itself in now as a result of the Covid pandemic. We will update you soon with any developments.

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