Ms Paula Grogan Ryan:

I would like to start by saying that it is a privilege to work with young children. Children are the very basis of our society. They are the people who will shape our future and look after us in our old age. Therefore, they deserve the best quality service. I have worked in this area for over 20 years. Five years ago I realised that the sector was becoming more professional so I up sticks and left my family in order to return to college. I gained my degree in May 2012 and opened my preschool in a rural village in Tipperary in September 2012. I rent a room from a primary school and employ two ladies. Christine is qualified in child care level 6 and Deirdre has a qualification of child care FETAC level 5 and is studying for level 6.

We are one of the seven services in the country that was mentored to roll out the Aistear in Action project. It forms our curriculum framework. The way it benefits the children speak for themselves. Children run into school, their eyes glow with excitement as they wait to meet their friends, and they are excited at the thought of deciding what work to do. They spend their day working, playing, learning and socialising. Aistear is a brilliant curriculum and works well. This year we have also formally engaged with the quality framework called Síolta.

To conduct both initiatives, Christine, Deirdre and I have had to invest hours of work, attend monthly meetings, attend cluster meetings and have onsite visits. The amount of paperwork involved has been staggering. We have not been paid for any of this work but we did it because we believe that every child that passes through our service deserves that level of quality. We believe it is their right.

Even with all the dedication and work that my staff put in, with their motivation and interest in the business, at the end of June they will have to go to social services for an income for the summer. My staff are two qualified ladies who give unstintingly of their time. However, I must tell them that regrettably I am unable to pay them for 14 weeks a year. As a result, they have to approach social services and sign on. As a private provider and self-employed person, I do not have the privilege of signing on and, therefore, I receive no money for 14 weeks a year. I have been in business for three years. At the end of this academic year I will not have any wages in June after I have paid my rent, taxes, employer's PRSI, my wages and also put money back into the business to keep it at the necessary standard. All of that means I will not have any wages at the end of June. While I agree wholeheartedly that we need Aistear and Síolta, and that high qualifications are essential, I am left wondering if qualified professionals should be asked to be at a loss financially.

I am here today because I believe that children are entitled to a quality and professional care and education. I also believe that professionals who provide the service need to be acknowledged and rewarded financially.