Statement on Minister James Reilly’s response on Primetime

Statement from Teresa Heeney, CEO of Early Childhood Ireland in relation to Minister James Reilly’s response on Primetime last night to issues of sustainability, lack of investment, pay and conditions and support for children with additional needs in the early childhood care and education sector

Key issues to be echoed at rally next Tuesday 17^th February outside Leinster House at 1pm

“We are very disappointed by the Minister’s lukewarm response last night on Primetime in relation to the key issue of sustainability in the early childhood care and education sector and his failure to acknowledge the inadequacy of investment which is bleeding this sector of quality professionals, a point made by Dr. Stephen Kinsella on the programme.

“What we need now from the Minister is a clear timeframe for an early years strategy that will move Ireland from our investment position of 0.2% of GDP to 0.7% of GDP and that’s what we will be calling for at the rally, organised by the Association of Childhood Professionals and supported by Early Childhood Ireland, next Tuesday 17^th February at 1pm outside Leinster House

“It is entirely unacceptable for the Minister to say that pay and conditions are matters for providers and their staff, when it is his department that sets the capitation rate for the free preschool year (known as ECCE scheme) and it is that capitation rate that determines the salary levels. 

“The fact is that the capitation rate set for the ECCE scheme is too low and doesn’t cover the hours involved in delivering this scheme, but the Minister knows this already from reports and figures lodged with Pobal.  That underfunding must be addressed urgently as it is driving qualified early years educators out of the sector and pushing settings across the country to the point of closure.    However, the solution is not just about the ECCE scheme and Ireland’s Early Years Strategy must cover the full spectrum of children from birth to 6 years old, something the Minister did allude to last night.

“Unfortunately, the Minister simply didn’t address the question of children with additional needs, a question so eloquently posed by the service providers interviewed on Primetime.  We must have a fully inclusive and fully funded system of caring for and educating all our young children.  That’s what we all want, that’s what our children deserve and that’s what Ireland’s signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child demands.  For that right in relation to children with additional needs to be delivered in reality, rather than our members subsidising children with additional needs out of their own pockets, we need proper investment.

“This Government assumes the role of setting the capitation rates without taking any of the risks of running a setting, a responsibility placed firmly on the shoulders of the community and private providers around the country, many of whom are unable to meet the true cost of providing the service.  This Government must adopt a partnership approach with those services around the country in order to deliver a quality, accessible and affordable solution for both parents and early childhood educators.  Never, of course, forgetting the children at the centre of our Early Years Strategy and the investment required on their behalf.”

Ends.

Editor’s note:

Early Childhood Ireland represents over 3,500 childcare professional members who support over 100,000 children and their families through preschool, afterschool and full daycare provision nationwide.  Its work includes quality enhancement, publications, advocacy, training, business support and information for a sector that employs 25,000 people today.