We welcome political unity as providers consider Core Funding proposals

There is only one metric that matters: Quality for children.

Early Childhood Ireland, the leading organisation in the early years and school age care sector, has today (7.4.22) called on all stakeholders to work together to ensure quality for children. On Tuesday evening, all members of the Dáil including government TDs supported a Private Members Bill proposed by Sinn Féin. Ahead of the debate, Early Childhood Ireland was in touch with key Oireachtas members to urge them to come together with the shared goal of ensuring high quality for children. We were very pleased to see the important and welcome show of unity. Despite this, the discussion was influenced by some earlier media statements about the proposed Core Funding.

“It is regrettable that some voices are causing division between providers based on their size, and between providers and parents. This is very different approach taken by the members we engage with on a daily basis, which sees professional educators working in partnership with parents to support young children in their development. The vast majority has also adopted a ‘wait and see’ approach to the proposed new Core Funding, even with their concerns and reservations. It is vital that operators, parents, staff and all other stakeholders work together to ensure that the welcome increased investment in our sector of €221 million does not fall at the first hurdle, and that, crucially, similar funding from 2023 onwards is also provided.

“Through the lens of our nationwide and diverse membership, Early Childhood Ireland has focused on policy analysis and developing an evidence base with members which informs our high-level engagement with decision makers. We believe that the Core Funding has the potential to make a vital link between increased investment and quality for children. This would bring Ireland closer to an inclusive and accessible model of service provision. However, there are concerns which the government must address. The new contract needs to value and support the current diversity of settings. Smaller ECCE-only providers have valid concerns about the new proposals. The contract is linked with a still undetermined Employment Regulation Order which needs to be finalised as soon as possible. Many of our members have also highlighted the impact of increased and escalating inflation on their work. These are legitimate concerns that we will continue to advocate, with the goal of finding constructive solutions that put children’s needs at the centre. We are on the verge of a significant change in how early years in Ireland is funded. There is inevitable fear and concern, and we must resist any further commentary which causes unnecessary apprehension,” said Frances Byrne, Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland.

The public strongly supports our sector, and this is borne out by opinion polling which Early Childhood Ireland has commissioned for the past five years. In February 2022, our Annual Barometer found that three-quarters of people in Ireland believe that, like primary school education, early years care and education should be free. The Barometer also found strong support for the sector’s workforce. Just under three-quarters of respondents (73%) agree that staff who work directly with children and are as qualified as other professions such as nurses and teachers, should have terms and conditions which reflect this.

“We must ensure that the Core Funding proposals work for children so that families, educators, and providers can move closer to high-quality services for every child. This is a goal we hope that every stakeholder supports unequivocally. This overwhelming public support for our sector could be undermined by misinformation and predictions of mass closures of early years settings. We are calling on all stakeholders to unite behind our shared goal of ensuring quality for children,” said Frances Byrne.