Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Hope springs eternal but when they hear what I have to say about how they would save their own budget in the long run, they will be running to his door with a few bob to ensure this is put in place and that good quality child care is provided. Child care provision in Ireland was one of the eight specific recommendations of the EU Council's 2014 national reform programme. When the EU was delivering a Council opinion on Ireland's 2014 stability programme, it asked Ireland to tackle low work intensity households and address the poverty risk of children, facilitate female labour market participation and improve access to more affordable full-time child care, particularly for low income families. I would put the provision of high quality early childhood care and education first and provision for the labour market second. I want to ensure that in meeting this objective, we do not lose the debate on the child itself. Provision for the labour market is very important but the child itself should come first, particularly to prevent under-privileged children from getting lost in the fray.

The services provided should be of high quality, affordable and accessible. By balancing parental responsibilities with work, it is easier for families to achieve a work life balance. I will say more on parents because they are most important in a child's life, as we all know. Bricks and mortar are not the only important things. We could have a poor building with very highly qualified staff providing very good outcomes. Capital expenditure is important but bricks and mortar are not all that are needed.

High quality must be defined. In 1999, Gillian Pugh quoted the following as an indicator of quality: "clearly defined aims and objectives and serious consideration of what we want for children as the starting point of how to achieve that." I refer to the expert report of 2014 on the issue of quality which stated that there is little data on quality of preschool early education services in Ireland today and that those indications we have raise concerns.

I want to compliment the many child care facilities that provide very good quality care but there are some concerns about variable quality. According to the expert report from 2014, levels of professional development and training have begun to improve recently but from a low base and it remains low by international standards.

The Minister mentioned quality analysis and he is very well versed in that regard. I invited him to a child care meeting in Tallaght and many people spoke of his knowledge and interest, particularly in the preschool and the special needs sectors, on which I compliment him.

It has been proven scientifically that the first years - from nought to three and from three to six - of a child's life are particularly important. As a trained Montessori teacher, I know that Dr. Maria Montessori stated that the first three years were a sensitive period for laying down a child's foundation. In those years, we are laying a foundation for cognitive functioning, behaviour, education, physical health and so on and yet many children face various stresses during these years which can impair their healthy development. Early childhood intervention programmes are designed to mitigate factors that place children at risk of poor outcomes. Such programmes provide support for parents, which is so important for the children and for the family as a whole. There are many reports, particularly from outside this country. We have only very recently begun the research here. I mention two reports. The Rand longitudinal study in America and the Perry preschool project, which provided 35 years of study of what preschool can do. A total of 20 were evaluated over 20 years and of the 20, 19 proved that quality and training of staff were so important. After 35 years, the intervention was proved to be long lasting and to deliver substantial gains and outcomes.

We will save money in the long run if we invest in child care. I know Governments in the past had very short outcomes for budgetary processes with the five-year term. However, this Government has said that it is looking at the long term. We had consultation on budgetary processes to make them more long-term. It is a false economy to put in a few bob here and there in the short-term, although it might be politically advantageous. For the country as a whole and the outcomes, it would be better to do it right.

Programmes with better trained care givers are sometimes more effective where the head teacher has a college degree, although not always, at levels six and seven. Suitably trained home nurse visitors or teacher visitors from age nought to three require the Department of Health and the Department of Education and Skills to work together. Suitable qualification must be mandatory and I understand work is currently under way to continue developing a training framework to support implementation of Children First. This is the first time any Government has put key elements of the Children First guidelines on a statutory footing since they were first published in 1999.

It is only in the last two years that we have had seen any recognition of continuous professional development. The Minister has made a start, as did the previous Minister, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald. We must expand the eligibility criteria for accessing the learner fund. Budget 2014 included an allocation of €1.5 million to support training staff, although I will not repeat what the Minister has covered. I recommend having a national continuous professional development training day as it would give certainty to staff that they will not be working on a wing and a prayer.

We have three hours left but there are only a few speakers. I just want to say a few things because it is so important-----