Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)

Low pay is cited by 86% of early years educators as being the main reason for leaving the sector. Experienced early years educators, managers and even providers continue to leave the sector. Many choose to become special needs assistants, where the starting salary is €16.83 per hour - €1.30 above the base rate for an early years educator and €2.68 above the minimum wage. On the other hand, qualified national school teachers receive €44.67 per hour, almost three times the hourly rate of an early years educator. Is it any wonder that the early years sector loses a huge number of graduates to the primary education sector every year? Low wages continue to mean that there is a shortage of staff. We know that a shortage of staff results in a shortage of child places, especially in the baby and toddler rooms, where the staff-to-child ratio is much higher.

A shortage of child places means, as in the rest of the economy, that when demand outstrips supply, those providing these services can increase their price. Access to core funding, the ECCE, the NCS and other schemes work for many providers, but they are not working for others. It does suit some providers, particularly big chains, to leave core funding and increase fees to parents. Small providers do not have the resources to address pay and conditions on their own. Families do not have the capacity to pay the fees which would be required to address pay and conditions. The only body which has the capacity to make the investment required to make our early years sector fit for the future is the State. I am glad that there is going to be a commitment to moving toward this. Unfortunately, the budget left a lot of people disappointed because of the overpromising coming up to the election.

An additional cost that my colleagues in Sligo, particularly in the community sector, are concerned about is the cost of auto-enrolment. Like them, I fully welcome the introduction of auto-enrolment. Everyone is in favour of pensions, but how will this be paid for? The cost for a large community setting that I am involved with has been estimated to be €10,000 to €12,000. We are wondering how this will be paid. Is finance going to be made available for community sector providers and all independent early years providers? It is time to start to treat the early years sector as a serious and integral part of the education system, which is a public good.