Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support Deputy Troy's motion. As the Minister of State pointed out, the motion proposes solutions and a clear direction to take if we are to address the issues with child care provision, including its cost.

An in-depth study was commissioned by Donegal County Childcare Committee Limited, DCCC, and conducted by Indecon. According to that research, the economic benefit of every €1 spent by the Government on introducing and supporting child care is €1.17. Although initial funding would need to be provided, the knock-on effects in the economy would be worthwhile.

The cost to a family of having two children in child care is estimated to be approximately €16,500. Be it a one or two-parent family, this presents a barrier to continuing in the workforce for one parent. That €16,500 after tax is above many people's total income. It is no wonder that costs have led to many parents choosing who will give up work and stay at home against his or her wishes. For single-parent families, working is not even an option in the majority of cases.

The suggestions put forward by Deputy Troy on the need for tax credits to assist in reducing that cost are the way forward.

As regards current preschool services that are available, including child care places, it is important to note the impact made as a result of the introduction of a free preschool year by the previous Government. That has made a real difference not only in assisting families with child care, but also in progressing child development and starting a child's education early. Primary schoolteachers say it has made a real difference to pupils when they enter the primary school system. That emphasises the point that further investment in preschool services makes a lot of sense. Research evidence proves that the earlier one provides education to children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the higher the impact on them. It leads to a reduction in later interventions in those children's lives. It therefore makes a lot of sense not just to provide further assistance to families through child care, but also to invest in quality preschool services. That will ensure that children will get a better start earlier than has been the case in the past.

We should put in place a programme to upskill those working in the early childhood education sector. It is a nascent sector which has developed quickly over the past three to four years. To a large extent, qualifications among the workforce are at the lower level, so a lot of investment in education needs to be made in developing that situation. There is a curriculum in Aistear and a quality programme in Síolta into which the Department should put more resources. A key element is to assist child care providers by providing a further education and training programme to those working in the sector. That would bear fruit with real development and progress being made in this area.

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