Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Private Members' motion before us this evening recognises many of the elements that are essential to child care and to catering for the needs of both children and families. It refers to "a mixed model of provision" delivered through the three arms of "the community, private and public sector". It makes it clear that the "4,300 child care centres" and "23,000 staff" in this area must be supported and further developed. It recognises the positive influence of "early childhood professionals". While I welcome these elements of the motion, I am cognisant that Fianna Fáil failed to achieve them when it had an opportunity to do so in better times.

Even though we have known for many years that investment in services at a young age pays dividends, the early childhood sector has been poorly resourced and under-valued by this and previous Governments. Low levels of public investment have led to high costs for all users, with many of the staff employed on low wages and often on precarious contracts. We need to re-examine early childhood capitation and link wage levels to nationally agreed levels. We must ensure all children can take up early childhood education and continuing professional development is provided by Government-funded schemes.

I understand the child care sector is plagued by fears that it will lose many of the dedicated people working in it. The welcome and much-needed push for rising qualifications which we have seen and welcomed across care and health care provision is not universally in evidence across providers in the child care sector. Equally, the wages do not reflect the standards of training that are now expected. Those who work in this sector do so because they have a passion for their work and for helping to form and sustain a safe and suitable environment for our youngest citizens.

There is limited equality in supports for children with disabilities and special educational needs. Parents have a right to expect that their children will be given the best early years education and support, regardless of what part of the country they live in, the amount of money they earn or the levels of challenge their children face. There is also a lack of support for mainstream services to provide equality of access for children with special needs.

The report of the expert advisory group on the early years strategy informed us that Ireland spends 0.4% of GDP on early childhood care and education services. Clearly, we need to ask the Government to say when it proposes that we should reach the international benchmark of 1% of GDP on such services. Other recommendations made by the expert advisory group also need to be examined. We need a detailed assessment of access to the free preschool year and a national plan for the phased, supported and simultaneous implementation of the Síolta and Aistear frameworks.

Research conducted by Early Childhood Ireland showed that in 2012, some 15% of services did not have a policy on supporting children with special educational needs. This situation must be ameliorated. Last year, some €3 million was provided for the development of the early years workforce. This sum represents just a drop in the ocean. High-quality child care is a goal for all of us who desire a totally equal playing field for women and men in the workplace. Paternity leave must also be examined in this context.

I support the childhood professionals from across the country who intend to march on Leinster House next Tuesday, 17 February, in a bid to draw public and political attention to the need for greater Government investment in the child care sector. They will march on the issues of poor wages, the lack of recognition for the amount of additional work they perform and the lack of appreciation of the specialised and necessary role they play. We expect so much of them, but give them so little. We need to resource and pay them appropriately. Quite clearly, the bottom line is that good-quality child care might be expensive, but bad-quality or non-existent child care is much more costly.

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