SIPTU warns that childcare services may close due to lack of staff

Childcare services may be limited or face potential closure due to an inability to recruit and retain staff, according to a new study conducted by SIPTU.

The SIPTU Early Years Staffing Survey has revealed that 39 percent of early years educators are actively looking for work outside of their profession.

According to the survey, low wages is cited as the main reason for potential exodus from the sector.

This increases to 41 percent for lead educators who generally have higher qualifications.

The study also found that 64 percent of managers and owners of childcare facilities believe that challenges recruiting and retaining staff will affect the quality of services.

Of these, 39 percent say that the inability to attract staff may lead to service closures.

Overall, 68 percent of managers and owners said they were finding it “extremely difficult” to recruit staff with the “biggest obstacle” being identified as poor pay.

SIPTU Head of Strategic Organising Darragh O’Connor said that the upcoming ‘Core Funding’ scheme being introduced by the Government will help to raise thousands of childcare workers out of poverty.

“SIPTU is calling on the Government to build on this foundation in the upcoming budget and recognise the contribution early years educators make to the economy, society and the lives of children,” O’Connor said.

However, the delivery of the Core Funding scheme, which proposes the investment of €221 million into early learning and childcare services by the State, may be delayed.

Earlier this month, childcare services in west Dublin were informed by the Department of Children that “it is not certain” the funding will be in place by September.

Karen Clince, founder of Tigers Childcare and chair of the Fingal Childcare Committee, said alternative proposal, the ‘Interim Funding’ scheme “goes nowhere near plugging the gap” needed to pay for increased staff costs as well as price hikes in utilities, maintenance, and administration.

Clince, who is a former teacher at St. Vincent’s C.B.S. in Glasnevin, says that such delays to the funding stream could push a sector already “on its knees” further into crisis.

“Childcare providers across Ireland were already hiring staff at the improved rates of pay, based on the new Core funding kicking in from September 1,” she said.

This news follows the announcement from Dunard Community Playgroup that it will be closing its doors after 20 years.

In July, Imelda Doyle of the Dunard Community Playgroup said in a statement: “After almost 20 years of being in operation and 11 years of being located in the school, we are devastated that we are being forced to close.”

The centre is being closed to make way for an ASD unit in a local school.

“There is an awful irony here that the children with additional needs who were relying on us now have nowhere to go for a whole year, yet they’ll have a fantastic ASD unit when they start primary school September 2023,” Doyle says.

The closure of the of the centre represents the loss of 55 pre-school places.