Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a four-year-old son who attends our local preschool. I value the work that Ms Catherine Hickey, Ms Clara O'Dwyer - I believe they might be watching us - and others do.

I wish to make a few points briefly. Frustratingly, my time is limited. Regarding the access and inclusion model, AIM, scheme, there are too many children in preschool who need to be referred to CAMHS for an assessment after an alarm bell rings only for that assessment not to happen before the child enters primary school. I saw this happening too often as a primary school teacher. A child could be six or seven years of age before an appropriate assessment and therapeutic practices are put in place even though flags were raised when the child was three or four years of age.

The 38-week contract is unfair to staff in the early childhood sector. They must sign on despite many being educated to degree level. I attended Mary Immaculate College. When I went into a primary teacher lecture hall there, they went into a lecture hall across the way. The pay grades and work conditions are incomparable. There are too many regulatory bodies - Pobal, the Department of Education, Tusla and the HSE. Many childcare staff have no pensions on top of the old age pension.

Will the Minister respond to some of these points briefly, please?

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