Early childcare providers have said their staff are not paid enough, leading to staffing difficulties and forcing services to close.

CEO of the Federation of Early Chilhood providers Elaine Dunne previously told The Hard Shoulder that she believes the Government “need to go back to the drawing board” when it comes to early childcare supports.

“I think they really have to take us seriously when we say there are closures, there’s huge staff retention issues, there are providers burned out, there are staff burnt out, parents that cannot find places,” she said.

“So, where have we gone wrong?”

Associate professor in early childhood education and care in Mary Immaculate College Doctor Mary Moloney told the show that she believes the answer lies in workers wages.

“We have an average of 80 students coming into us every year in first year,” she said.

“The numbers progressing on to work in the area in which they are trained is minimal.

“We’re talking between five and 10 graduates every year, and they will categorically tell us that to work in the sector for €13.65 is just not viable for them, they’re voting with their feet.

“It’s so important when we look at what’s at stake here, we know there’s scientific evidence that early brain development, 80% of what happens in those first five years of life, is arguably the most important stage in a child’s development.”

Preschool girls and teacher reading storybook in classroom. Image: Connect Images / Alamy. 5 December 2009

Early Years Educators and School Age Childcare Practitioners are currently paid a minimum rate of €13.65 - just fifteen cents above the national minimum wage of €13.50 per hour.

Dr Moloney said she “absolutely supports” the Government’s objective to have affordable childcare or early childhood education care for parents, but that it cannot be at the expense of workers.

'It all comes from the top'

Director and manager of two early education services Sonya Duggan said that while there have been huge strides made since she first opened her doors in 1999, “we’re still nowhere where it needs to be”.

“It all comes from the top,” she said.

“We are not getting the funding to support us, the Department and the TDs, you know, their manifestos definitely make it sound wonderful about all the funding that we’re seeing.

“But Ireland is investing like 0.3% to 0.5%, realistically, of our GDP – last year they mentioned it could be up to one per cent, which is over one billion [euro].

“Unfortunately, that is still the lowest in the EU and most of that funding was made up with parental subsidies through the schemes that we administer for free on behalf of our parents for the Department.”

Ms Duggan said we are “decades behind” and need to invest in the sector at five to ten times our current rate.

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Main image: Childminder with a children's book looks after children in preschool or kindergarten. Image: Robert Kneschke / Alamy. 28 February 2021