Crèche closures may force college students to drop out

Students say they will drop out of college courses because of plans to close three Government-funded crèches.

City of Dublin VEC said it is shutting down the facilities which cater for the children of more than 80 students at further education colleges in Ballyfermot, Cabra, and Whitehall because of funding shortages.

Carleen Keogh fears she will not be able to continue her higher diploma in social studies next year because places in local crèches are usually booked up a year in advance. Daughter Molly, 2, has been in the VEC crèche at Ballyfermot College of Further Education since Carleen returned to the college after she was born.

“I had been hoping to get a job working with vulnerable people and bettering myself and my daughter’s life. But if I don’t have a crèche place for Molly I can’t finish the course and I’ll be sitting at home on social welfare the rest of my life,” she said.

The VEC said funding for its crèches changed from a general grant to a payment per child when it transferred from the Department of Education to the Department of Children in 2010.

“This change in the funding model meant our crèches were not financially viable and the inevitable but very regrettable decision was made to close the crèches,” a spokesperson said. The department said there should be no loss of income to the crèches. It said the cut to the amount it pays per child from €170 to €145 a week is being introduced along with a parental contribution of up to €25 a week.

“The precise reasons for any particular crèche closure would need to be examined and understood in the context of administrative and staffing costs and other factors,” a spokesperson said.

Rebecca King and her partner Matthew Noonan, whose 16-month-old twins Cillian and James have been in the crèche since the autumn, are on animation courses at the Ballyfermot college. But Rebecca can’t see herself taking up her place on the follow-on two-year degree course.

“Most people couldn’t pay the €1,000 a month that some places charge but if they could put something small towards keeping the crèche open, they would be willing to do it,” she said.

The VEC plans to close the buildings and redeploy the 21 staff into other jobs when the crèches close at the end of July.

Marie Humphries, assistant principal of the Whitehall college, where former president Mary McAleese opened a €1m creche last year, said investing in childcare and education together is brilliant, long-term strategic thinking with enormous benefits.