Call to scrap childcare funding scheme

The Government was urged today to scrap its new childcare funding scheme after a report found it threatens services to disadvantaged children.

More than 40% of community childcare organisations in Dublin’s inner city have reported cutbacks under the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS).

Families struggling the hardest to get themselves out of poverty and into employment are very likely to lose affordable care as a result, it is claimed.

Trade union Siptu has demanded Children’s Minister Barry Andrews abandon the scheme.

Branch organiser Gerry Flanagan said resulting fee hikes of between 50% and 166% at the childcare projects is hitting low-income families particularly hard.

“For some parents these increases are simply unaffordable and they have had to take their children out of childcare,” he said.

The Dublin Inner City Partnership and Inner City Community Childcare Providers Network (ICCCPN), who published the report, have also demanded the scheme be replaced.

Their study of 15 inner-city community childcare providers claims there is a real risk that services will close with vulnerable children losing access to pre-school education.

Well over half (58%) of the organisations are worried the new scheme will impact on quality of services for children and families.

The report also shows that providers hit by the cutbacks this year will continue to have their funding reduced to 85% in 2009 and to 75% in 2010, on last year’s level.

Mr Flanagan urged the Children’s Minister to work with Siptu and childcare professionals to develop a new system that meets the needs of parents, local communities, workers and children.