State must tighten laws on facilities

THE conviction of a crèche owner, who left a three-year-old child behind after an outing to a public park, highlights the urgent need for radical reform of totally inadequate regulations governing pre-school facilities in Ireland.

It was an incident that sent shivers down the spines of parents everywhere who entrust their child to the care of a local pre-school.

Fortunately, Nathan McGrane came to no harm as he played oblivious to the frightening risks.

It would be impossible to exaggerate the shock his mother Denise experienced when she arrived at the crèche to collect him. Not only was the toddler missing, but to her horror she learned he had been left behind in the park.

Despite denying the allegations, Anne Davy, the owner of Giggles Crèche and Montessori School at Tolka Road, was fined €1,200 in Dublin District Court by Judge William Hamill for breaches of the regulations governing pre-schools.

Basically, he found her evidence was not credible and conflicted with undisputed facts in the case. Yet, because the rules are almost non-existent, the crèche can continue operating.

At a time when parents are crying out for realistic State support towards the exorbitant cost of childcare, this verdict lends a note of urgency to demands for the system to be overhauled.

It raises fundamental questions about the grossly inadequate regulations enacted in 1991, merely requiring the owners of such facilities to notify the local health board of their existence for inspection on health and safety grounds.

In other words, anybody can set up a crèche. And anyone can work in the field whether or not they are qualified.

Even though childcare should demand the highest standards, crèche facilities are seldom subject to any follow-up inspection because the country's health boards are under-resourced and understaffed.

Parents have a responsibility to ensure their local crèche is properly run. If they have doubts about the quality of service, they should call in the health board or consult voluntary organisations working in the field.

Mandatory checks on a regular basis should be required of health boards. Moreover, those entrusted with pre-school duties should be qualified to carry out that onerous work.

It is unconscionable to think that since the present rules, such as they are, came into force, they have not kept pace with the explosion in popular demand for childcare facilities.

As more young couples go out to work to meet soaring mortgage and commuter costs, highly lucrative pre-schools have sprouted in household annexes and garages in virtually every community.

Having for years ignored calls for meaningful financial support to help couples at the pin of their collars to pay soaring childcare bills, the Government has at last admitted the problem needs to be tackled.

Cynically, this belated sea change in attitude has only come about because of the heavy defeat of Coalition party candidates in the Meath and Kildare by-elections, where the issue was raised by voter after voter on doorsteps.

But instead of fast-tracking financial support and proper regulations, the administration has put it on the long finger, setting up yet another committee to study yet another pressing issue.

Unless immediate action is taken by the Government to tighten up the laws governing pre-school facilities around the country, a real danger exists that another child may one day be left behind after a visit to the park with all the chilling implications of that terrifying scenario.