Early years staffing plea: Pre-school owners ‘forgotten’

With 22,000 children returning to early years and school age care settings in Cork after the holidays, staff shortages and stark waiting lists remain — with one provider telling The Echo they have been “forgotten about” by Government.

Early Childhood Ireland is calling on those involved in government formation talks to address challenges in the forthcoming programme for Government — including setting a date to bring early years and school age care graduates into the public pay system. Recruitment and retention of staff is one of the main issues faced by the advocacy group’s 466 member settings in Cork, with the average staff turnover standing at 26.2%.

The group’s director of policy, Frances Byrne, said: “All political parties promised to reduce fees and improve affordability for parents throughout the general election campaign.”

Ms Byrne said that, if the staff shortage issue is not addressed, these proposals will not be viable.

“We welcome the focus on access to early years and school age care for all children, but without proper pay and conditions for staff, there simply will not be enough educators available to care for those children.”

Susan Murphy, the owner of the Spraoi Preschool in Ballincollig, told The Echo: “As far as I can see, small pre-school owners like me were forgotten in the budget.

“In a few years’ time, there won’t be any small pre-schools. They will be driven out of the market.

“In our WhatsApp group for pre-school providers, most owners said they had to borrow money to pay their bills — such as rent and wages. It’s a sad state of affairs.

“We deserve a good minister to represent us, we have not had a minister who will listen to us — yet! We are all hoping and praying we get someone who will listen and meet with the Federation of Early Childhood Providers.”

A recent statement by the federation says that small and medium providers make up over 85% of Ireland’s early years services, but are “often overlooked in the grand discourse about profitability and operational efficiency”.

The statement added that these providers are “drowning under the weight of financial and administrative burdens that seem never-ending” as well as rising operational costs, and are facing “a staffing crisis that serves as a grim reminder of just how challenging it is to break even — let alone turn a profit” in small and medium pre-schools.