Childcare providers are urging voters to treat political parties’ General Election campaign promises with caution.

From Fianna Fáil to the Social Democrats, all parties are promising lower childcare costs, some even promising a state childcare system.

One childcare professional has cautioned people to be aware that this could simply be rhetoric for the election campaign.

Association of Childhood Professionals Chairperson Paula Donohoe told The Pat Kenny Show that listeners should be careful when listening to these promises from parties as they could just be “lovely sound bites”.

“In the childcare sector, we would all welcome any relief for parents,” she said.

“We're hearing a lot of rhetoric, and I would caution around rhetoric.

“We would say, let's look at what's here with the very people who presided over childcare for many years now have watched it limp from crisis to crisis.

“Now, that crisis has always been based on historic underfunding.

“Now we welcome recently - and definitely under Minister Gorman's regime - we have seen a large increased investment, but that's on the backdrop that we currently are still towards the bottom of the European table, and we're only spending circa 50% per child as compared to our European counterparts.”

"There's not a plan in place"

Ms Donohoe said it is great for the Government to work with parents but they also “must” work with the childcare sector “to enable” them “to function”.

She expressed concern at the Fianna Fáil plans to establish a state childcare system.

“Again… I caution a note here,” she said, “Really be careful what you're hearing.

“Is this rhetoric? Because we know there are absolutely zero plans in place currently to provide for a public sector - they have not looked at this.

“They're lovely sound bites, and they sound really great, but there's not a plan in place.

“I would say let's look at the reality on the ground here - all child care providers, be they community or private, are publicly funded.

“Now we know they've watched and presided over us limping from crisis to crisis - now we're going to entrust those very same people with 100% of child care?

“It concerns me without appropriate consultation.”

"Crux of the problem"

Ms Donohoe said the future Government’s willingness to spend the money needed on state healthcare is “the crux of the problem”.

“There are many examples across especially the Nordic regions, where private child care runs in parallel to publicly funded child care, which is community and private,” she said.

“But bear in mind, both sides of that equation are really well funded, like the Nordic private model, community model, is really well funded.

“So you could not have a system where, if the private child care, we have to pay all the wages, and the government takes over paying the full wages in a public model - you couldn't have that two tier system.

“We'd have to have equality on both sides of this the fence, and it can work, but we need a massive amount of consultation and planning.”

Public projects

Ms Donohoe said we’ve seen “a lot of public projects” go “very wrong” in Ireland.

“So if we're going to do this, and I think it's a good idea, we really need to put in the foundation strong and correctly and with proper consultation with all stakeholders involved,” she said.

Ms Donohoe said she doesn’t “see the need” for the Government to “take over” entire businesses working to provide childcare.

“I think it would strike the fear of God into many providers if the thought was the Government is going to come in and take us over,” she said.

“I think we can all work in partnership - there's no need for a takeover, as long as the funding is there.”

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Empty daycare. Image: Picture Partners / Alamy Stock Photo