Warning of national crisis in community creche sector

The CEO of the country’s largest community education organisation, which Minister for Children Katherine Zappone helped found, has warned the crisis at creches in disadvantaged areas is not confined to Cork.

Maura McMahon, of An Cosán, which runs 10 creches in Dublin, said: “There are fears amongst many in the sector nationally that we won’t be able to afford to keep the doors open as an unintended consequence of the development of the childcare sector.

“Between birth and three years of age is the absolute optimum time to intervene with children from disadvantaged areas.

"We have always battled funding shortages but now increased demands on limited funding and the inclusion of community employment scheme workers when calculating child/staff ratios have brought community creches to breaking point.”

Ms McMahon said that these creches have higher numbers of children with additional needs, face higher repair bills at their premises due to anti-social behaviour, and that parents, some living in emergency accommodation, regularly can not afford to pay the weekly €25 top-up expected of them.

To counteract this, An Cosán undertakes large-scale fundraising but this can not continue to make up the gap between income and expenditure indefinitely,” said Ms McMahon.

“There hasn’t been sufficient investment from Government so that we can pay staff a living wage and thereby retain them,” she said.

“Our children in particular need highly trained staff as many have additional needs. Furthermore, the Aistear curriculum was introduced but no extra funding was granted to implement it.

“Minister Zappone has done amazing work but our concern is that when and if funding comes, it will be too late.

"Many of us are worried we won’t be able to offer full-time services, yet we still have to pay for our buildings on a full-time basis.”

Ms McMahon’s comments come after the Cork Early Years Alliance (CEYA) launched a campaign highlighting the closure of seven community creches in disadvantaged areas, unless new streams of funding are provided by the Department of Children before September.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil councillor Tony Fitzgerald put a motion before Cork City Council last night, calling on it to support the CEYA campaign to double their childcare funding to €9.20 per hour, to acquire an additional staff grant for services affected by the changes, and to acknowledge that their work is early intervention

Last month, Ms Zappone said additional funding may be found for creches in disadvantaged areas if they can demonstrate that their children have higher levels of need.

Speaking in Cork after she met the CEYA, she said her officials will review needs of children at each creche on a case-by-case basis.