Final Call To Action Budget 2017

We understand that the Department of Children and Youth Affairs is among a number of Government Departments still actively negotiating its Budget 2017 allocation. This gives us all a final opportunity to take action. Much of the focus, both politically and in the media, is still on affordability for parents. We need your help to communicate to the decision makers that the only solution to the current childcare crisis, and the only way to ensure the crisis doesn’t worsen, is to make a significant investment in Budget 2017 toward a model of childcare that can deliver:

1. The best quality care and education provision for children in the most formative years of their development;
2. Viability and sustainability for both early childhood services and their staff;
3. Access and affordability for parents to childcare facilities and services.

As you know, ECI is looking for €115 million for new improvement measures and policies in Budget 2017, specifically:

1. €61 million to increase the level of capitation paid to services operating the ECCE programme to €75 per week per child at the standard capitation rate and €85 per week per child at the higher rate, on the basis of a 41 week programme;
2. €31 million to extend the ECCE programme contract by three weeks to 41 weeks to support the payment of non-contact time and holiday time for service providers and staff;
3. €3 million to create a new permanent and comprehensive system for supporting learners to access further education and training in Early Childhood Education that builds on the existing ‘Learner Fund’ model, caters for all levels and will lead to the provision of a minimum of 3 CPD days per year for Early Years educators;
4. €20 million to introduce a Childcare Subsidy to support parents with the full year childcare costs for under 3’s in 2017, where the State pays the provider or registered childminder directly to subsidise the real cost of childcare.

I know many of you already contacted your local TDs and Senators. On this occasion, I would ask you to email or call the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD (minister@finance.gov.ie or 01 6767571) and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Pascal Donoghue TD (minister@per.gov.ie or 01 6045810) directly to make the case for investment in childcare.

It is also especially important at this stage to make the case for investment in childcare to all Fine Gael TDs and ask them to communicate it on to their Cabinet colleagues. You will find names and contacts details for Fine Gael TDs on our website: https://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/fine-gael-tds/