Mayo childcare providers to outline concerns at meeting in Claremorris this evening

LOCAL representatives have been invited to hear the concerns of members of the Mayo Childcare Providers Group at a meeting in the McWilliam Park Hotel in Claremorris this evening. 

Mayo-based childcare providers are to outline several concerns, principally to do with ongoing funding issues in the sector. 

Representative bodies for childcare providers have been highlighting ongoing anomalies with the government's Core Funding scheme for childcare, which has led to severe funding shortfalls for some providers.

One Kiltimagh-based childcare provider recently told The Mayo News that she had to withdraw €20,000 in savings from her daughter's college savings in order to pay her staff. 

This evening's meeting, which takes place at 7pm, will discuss the following: removal by the Department [of Children] of  administration payments and €10 higher capitation, overburdening of paperwork, the ongoing pay freeze on services who sign up to Core Funding, overburden with regulations and inspections, difficulty in recruitment and retention of staff because of poor government funding, the impending employment regulations order and parents' ability to cancel their national childcare scheme (NCS) contracts without notification to providers.

Elaine Dunne, Chairperson of the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, told The Mayo News this afternoon (Monday)  that many Mayo childcare providers were at risk of closure due to issues with Core Funding.

“The one thing that we’re worrying about in Mayo is the amount [of providers] that are saying they will be gone by the end of the year if something doesn’t come in through Core Funding, or in through the Budget this year. They will be gone. 100 per cent,” she said.

“For any full day care to have to take €20,000 out of a bank account and pump it in to pay wages for a week, then obviously something is wrong and it’s not the service provider or that, it’s the core funding. It’s not enough to keep her viable.

“Core Funding as it stands whilst it’s a great amount of funding and it’s the most we’ve had ever put into the sector, the package that we’re getting is one-size-fits all. But unfortunately, in our sector one sizes doesn’t fit all. All services are different,” Ms Dunne added.