>Thousands of parents availing of State subsidies towards the cost of early education and childcare services could miss out on up to €1,600 in increased funding that they were due to receive from September because of price increases being introduced at the same time.
>In documents sent recently to the owners of the more than 4,000 crèches and other facilities participating in the early education and childcare funding scheme, the Department of Children said providers charging less than the average rates in their county could apply for permission to increase their fees for the year from September 1st.
Childcare neees to be essentially free for working parents. Society has moved on a lot from when the school system was set up. It leaves working parents in a terrible position.
As with every subsidy and scheme in this country, it’s not set up to benefit the public. It’s set up to benefit the private provider of the service, dressed up as a benefit to the public.
Energy credits, housing schemes, childcare, it’s the same everywhere. Gifting public money to private organisations.
Fine Gael 101. They are a disgrace.
We’re one of those parents basically get a net zero change despite this ostensible subsidy. Very frustrating but I also see the crèche’s point of view; the margins running childcare must be miniscule & when Irish daycare centres have to outsource staffing from Spain, clearly the system is broken (though the same could be said for dozens of industries here)
I’ve said it before and will say it again: we’re now a country of households with 2 working parents, yet still set up like only one parent works.
Profit driven childcare is a terrible model
We need national system of kindergartens and nurseries, in the same sense primary snd secondary system network.
Recogntion of the time, care, education and work that is being put into early years by its educators.
They are not glorified babysitters.
The way things are now, do not guarantee quality provison. There are standards, but your manager could be business owner not concerned so much with qualty or educators education or wanting to pay for a graduate…more with how much they get at the end of the year(obviusly not all)
We need facilities that are fit for purpose and number of childern. I’m afraid gone are the days of opening a creche in someones home. Or a room in the primary with no gym, playground or even modest library.
Our whole primary and secondary system sits on the top of early years, and children should be allowed to have emergent and play based early years if spending it in kindergarten. There is no need for a child to be in junior or senior infants, or school before age of 6 or 7.
Let them play and learn! Do child’s work!
We picked a crèche at random years ago and have been utterly blessed with it; It’s the only one in our area that takes kids under 1, has a relatively stable staff and is the only one that hasn’t been taken over by a chain. It honestly still feels like a family affair.
All of my friends with kids in other crèches have received emails saying “We’re increasing our fees- like it or lump it”. They know they won’t move, they don’t have a choice but to pay up.
The rising cost of childcare is only going to lead to one thing- Parents, and unfortunately overwhelming women, forced to leave their careers.
Anybody in this country who wants to work should be supported in that choice, and readily available, good quality and affordable childcare is a key component of that.
Edit- Also, admittance to crèche should line up with the end of paid maternity leave! 26 weeks leave (24 weeks post-birth usually) but most crèches only taking infants from 1 does not make any sense!
We sent out kids to a school that accepts kids at the age of 2. Way better idea than creches imo. They then progress through to primary in the same building. I’ve no idea why that isn’t standard.
This is what happens when the state financially subsidises private commercial enterprises.
We see the sane thing in housing and other industries here. Throwing money at a problem does not work
9 comments
>Thousands of parents availing of State subsidies towards the cost of early education and childcare services could miss out on up to €1,600 in increased funding that they were due to receive from September because of price increases being introduced at the same time.
>In documents sent recently to the owners of the more than 4,000 crèches and other facilities participating in the early education and childcare funding scheme, the Department of Children said providers charging less than the average rates in their county could apply for permission to increase their fees for the year from September 1st.
Childcare neees to be essentially free for working parents. Society has moved on a lot from when the school system was set up. It leaves working parents in a terrible position.
As with every subsidy and scheme in this country, it’s not set up to benefit the public. It’s set up to benefit the private provider of the service, dressed up as a benefit to the public.
Energy credits, housing schemes, childcare, it’s the same everywhere. Gifting public money to private organisations.
Fine Gael 101. They are a disgrace.
We’re one of those parents basically get a net zero change despite this ostensible subsidy. Very frustrating but I also see the crèche’s point of view; the margins running childcare must be miniscule & when Irish daycare centres have to outsource staffing from Spain, clearly the system is broken (though the same could be said for dozens of industries here)
I’ve said it before and will say it again: we’re now a country of households with 2 working parents, yet still set up like only one parent works.
Profit driven childcare is a terrible model
We need national system of kindergartens and nurseries, in the same sense primary snd secondary system network.
Recogntion of the time, care, education and work that is being put into early years by its educators.
They are not glorified babysitters.
The way things are now, do not guarantee quality provison. There are standards, but your manager could be business owner not concerned so much with qualty or educators education or wanting to pay for a graduate…more with how much they get at the end of the year(obviusly not all)
We need facilities that are fit for purpose and number of childern. I’m afraid gone are the days of opening a creche in someones home. Or a room in the primary with no gym, playground or even modest library.
Our whole primary and secondary system sits on the top of early years, and children should be allowed to have emergent and play based early years if spending it in kindergarten. There is no need for a child to be in junior or senior infants, or school before age of 6 or 7.
Let them play and learn! Do child’s work!
We picked a crèche at random years ago and have been utterly blessed with it; It’s the only one in our area that takes kids under 1, has a relatively stable staff and is the only one that hasn’t been taken over by a chain. It honestly still feels like a family affair.
All of my friends with kids in other crèches have received emails saying “We’re increasing our fees- like it or lump it”. They know they won’t move, they don’t have a choice but to pay up.
The rising cost of childcare is only going to lead to one thing- Parents, and unfortunately overwhelming women, forced to leave their careers.
Anybody in this country who wants to work should be supported in that choice, and readily available, good quality and affordable childcare is a key component of that.
Edit- Also, admittance to crèche should line up with the end of paid maternity leave! 26 weeks leave (24 weeks post-birth usually) but most crèches only taking infants from 1 does not make any sense!
We sent out kids to a school that accepts kids at the age of 2. Way better idea than creches imo. They then progress through to primary in the same building. I’ve no idea why that isn’t standard.
This is what happens when the state financially subsidises private commercial enterprises.
We see the sane thing in housing and other industries here. Throwing money at a problem does not work