Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Funchion for bringing this motion on childcare fees to the Dáil tonight. I support the call for a further increase in public investment in order to enable providers to reduce fees for parents by two thirds, commencing with a one-third reduction in fees this year. I also support the commitment to increase wages and improve working conditions for staff. These are stepping stones. The Minister had a slip of the tongue earlier when he said "muddle" rather than model but childcare in this State is a muddle. What we need is a publicly-run and publicly-funded childcare system because childcare is not a business, although many crèches are being forced to run as businesses.

I received an email from a childcare provider called Muire regarding the new core funding package that has been announced by the Government and which is due to be implemented this September, in line with the new school year. She wrote that many providers like herself are upset and dismayed by this new funding model which will force a lot of services like hers to close their doors as they will just not be sustainable any longer. She runs a Montessori pre-school, sessional only under the ECCE scheme in Dublin 12. The school opened in 1993 and is very well established. Muire herself has lots of experience in early education. She trained in the Montessori method of education after completing her leaving certificate. The course was full-time over three years and Muire qualified with a primary diploma in Montessori education. She also completed a two year course and gained a qualification in neuro-development therapy to help her to understand how children learn and how to help children with specific learning difficulties.

Muire went on to say that in 2010 her facility was receiving Government funding of €64.50 per child per week but two years later this was reduced down to €62.50 per child per week. Then a higher capitation grant of €75 per child was introduced for services whose staff had higher qualifications and with her advanced qualifications, her service was awarded the higher capitation fee. Levels of capitation funding have changed somewhat over the years, with the last change introduced in 2018 with the rate set at €69 for standard qualifications and €80 for higher qualifications. This is the current rate, representing only a 7% increase over 12 years.

There was an overhaul of qualifications gained from different colleges which saw Muire's professional level 7 Montessori qualification reduced to a level 6 award, which in turn saw a reduction in capitation from €80 down to €69. The money has been reduced but the workload in the service has increased dramatically. She says that the paperwork is unending and all of it is done on the provider's own time, out of hours, for no fee. She asks if I know of any other professionals who would be able to do that.

Muire and other sessional providers around the country are upset to learn that this year's new core funding package brings nothing to the table to help to keep small services afloat. The capitation stays the same, at just €69 per child per week, with a paltry 65 cent per hour, per child for administration costs. At the moment, Muire receives the programme support payment which equates to €110.40 per child as a one-off payment to support the extra administration and out-of-hours work required to run the ECCE scheme. This will now stop under the new core funding model. She asks how she is to make her business viable and that is the essential point. These are businesses rather than schools to be run for children, to provide care and to educate them.

Muire's staff are contracted to work 20 hours per week, so that is five hours extra pay per staff member per week, multiplied by 38 weeks, which is 190 hours. Muire argues that providers need to see an increase in the standard rate of capitation in the ECCE scheme for every child and that it needs to be paid for more than three hours per day per child. The rate must also take into consideration the administrative duties involved. The Minister must intervene here. He must meet childcare providers.

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