A number of preschools, creches, and other early childhood care services across Dublin are closed today in protest over funding issues.
After three unsuccessful protests - with ECC service providers marching from Leinster House up to the Department of Children and arriving to locked doors - around 500 service providers nationwide are expected to close doors today. And more services are expected to close on the 25 November, in an effort to raise awareness to their struggles that the Government “are not addressing”.
Many small ECC services that are completely government funded have become "unviable" to run, because the funding they receive “has failed for small and medium service”, says Chairperson of the Federation of Early Childhood Providers Elaine Dunne. “They’re closing these services and they’re taking away employment as well.”
Read more: RTE Late Late Show line-up includes Mary Black, world champion gymnast, and former Ireland manager
Ms Dunne cites some shocking figures - 113 services closed this year in total in Ireland, and with only 33 new ones opening, there are 80 less childcare options for busy parents this year alone. From 2019 to now, over 300 services have closed, and according to a survey earlier this year, more will be fully closing next year.
“If that keeps going the way it is, you will see that it’s the small ones that are taking the hitch, and they’re the ones closing and they’re the ones that need to remain open,” Ms Dunne says. The Federation wants a capitation rise for those small services up from €69 up to €76 a week.
The Federation has also issued a petition which to date has been signed by more than 10,000 parents, and they also have “a lot of backing from other small SMEs nationwide”, Ms Dunne claims. She added: "It’s the children that will take the hit, because parents are not gonna be able to drive 20 or 30 kilometres to another village. And if they do that, if they do drive, there might not be a service in the other village anymore.”
Sharon, a south Dublin service provider, says that while large creches making a lot of profit, small to medium size services are “on their knees”.
"The Government promised a lot, but it hasn’t materialised," she said. Her preschool has the workforce to upscale on the basis of giving higher capitation in return, which they did until this year, when the Government "withdrew that capitation and morphed it back into core funding".
“I didn’t sign up for Core funding so now my service with four degree-led staff, two studying masters for early childhood education, can’t access that capitation,” Sharon said. Sharon didn’t apply for core funding for a number of reasons.
Funding is difficult to access, she says, with an online system "that keeps crashing and is difficult to understand". Payments cannot also be made retroactively, she claims. Many of her colleagues are also struggling “big time” with accessing core funding.
“I just think they’ve decided what we’re worth and I don’t think they’ve decided I’m worth enough,” she said. “I’m worth a lot more than they’ve decided.”
“I can tell you here now, I do not make payroll. We're living from one paycheck from the Government to the next, that’s the truth. All the other money that is required for the running of the business, I have to find.”
Additionally, ECC providers who are accessing core funding have to freeze their fees - they’re not allowed to charge a penny more than they charged in September 2021 before inflation took off. “What [the Government] are determined to do is push a square peg into a round hole and run a publicly funded, publicly managed service without taking on board the running costs, without buying the buildings, renting, maintaining, or servicing – any of it," Sharon said.
"They're trying to do that through the private sector. They want to stand up and put their hand up and say that they're running a publicly funded, publicly managed service from my home."
Sharon says she’s emailed the government, various TDs, and Early Childhood Ireland, but the response has been underwhelming. “It can’t be that we’re forgotten - I think that we’re ignored,” she says.
She stated she does not want to close her service but if she was forced to, she would, and she would probably find a job in a school. She added: “It's not what I want to do but it may be an option - because I cannot keep going the way I'm going.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Children said the closures today “are entirely unwarranted. They will do significant damage to the trust that parents have in services, as well as impacting on the wellbeing of the children affected.”
They say the closures come at a time when the Government has substantially increased investment in the early learning and childcare sector, and that in 2023, State investment in the early learning and childcare sector will, for the first time, surpass €1 billion a year - €266 million of which will be directly invested to early learning and childcare providers through core funding and 99% of services will see an increase in their funding, with most receiving substantial increases.
The spokesperson further said the ECCE capitation the services are seeking are already available through a combination of ECCE capitation and Core Funding, ECCE providers can already avail of weekly funding of at least €78.75 per child (€69 ECCE capitation plus €9.75 per ECCE child place per week in Core Funding base rate). Those that do not want a fee freeze or an increase in public management, however, are not obliged to contract to core funding, the spokesperson said.
Read next:
Gardai issue urgent warning over 'bogus callers' visiting homes and businesses ahead of Christmas
PJ Gallagher's mum Helen remembered as woman who 'loved a laugh'
Dublin to be hit by blustery weather as wind alert in place for parts of Ireland
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
