Creche place shortage: Share your experience

Parents are finding it increasingly difficult to find childcare for infant children when returning to work as creches begin to close their ‘baby rooms’. File picture

Parents are finding it increasingly difficult to find childcare for infant children when returning to work as creches begin to close their ‘baby rooms’.

Childcare providers are being "pitched against parents" due to regulatory requirements that have led many operators to close their facilities to children aged under two and a half, and those aged under one in particular, because hosting those age groups is no longer seen as cost-effective.

The Irish Examiner has been made aware of a number of creches in different parts of the country – Dublin, Munster and Ulster – that have closed their infant rooms as the lower ratio of staff required by law to monitor young babies means the business actually loses money by taking under-ones.

Chair of the Association of Childhood Professionals Marian Quinn said the closure of 'baby rooms' is a direct result of regulatory requirements that have made childcare for older, pre-school kids “a more financially viable model".

“As the regulatory requirements are higher for babies and toddlers in terms of monitoring, it has become more difficult to be compliant,” she said.

Two free years

Preschool children, aged three and upwards, however, are currently entitled to two free years under the Government's Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, with the services subsidised for three hours a day.

“Where there’s an oversupply of children in an area, such as in Dublin, and an undersupply of childcare – then there is no competitive onus for a business to take a younger child, as they are already oversubscribed,” Ms Quinn said.

The issue is one that can only be fixed by increasing subsidies significantly for childcare providers, Ms Quinn said.

Some childcare services in Munster are also no longer accepting babies aged under one. File picture

“This situation is far from ideal. There is a national plan for childminding but it is one that will come slowly, while the funding from the national childcare scheme isn’t at the right level. ""We’re at about a quarter of where we need to be. And until that’s fixed it’s a market system that will pitch providers against parents.” 

The owner of a large creche and Montessori in North Dublin explained that creches currently operating baby rooms are “down about €80 or €90 per staff member per week on babies under one”.

'Doesn't make financial sense'

“The ratio is three workers for every infant. Couple that with the heightened level of monitoring – breathing and pallor being checked every 10 minutes – that such young children require, it just doesn’t make financial sense,” she said, adding were it not for the specific nature of her own contract she would also shut her own service down for children under one.

The ratio of 1:3 changes once a child passes 12 months of age to one worker for every five children, and to one for seven children past two-and-a-half years.

Some childcare services in Munster are also no longer accepting babies aged under one while there are noted childcare shortages in Cavan and Donegal, with services often refusing access to care for children who are not yet toilet trained.

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The Department of Children acknowledged “evidence of undersupply for certain cohorts, including children under the age of three”.

A spokesperson said the department “has committed to strengthen capacity to accurately forecast supply and demand for early learning and care by undertaking a regular national needs assessment”.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on children Kathleen Funchion said the Covid pandemic “has thrown into stark contrast how much early years is taken for granted”.

“The issue around capacity has been there for years and getting increasingly worse. It needs capital investment and support. There’s a reason why creches are closing – they can’t hold onto staff because wages are so low, and then you throw in the Covid issues. The State needs to help people to stay open,” Ms Funchion said.