Childcare providers close their doors to protest over 'funding shortfall' 

Protesters from the Federation of Early Childhood Providers over a lack of funding at Leinster House, Dublin. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

Hundreds of childcare providers have closed their doors across the country to stage a protest outside Leinster House in response to what they claim is lack of State support allocated to them in the budget.

Elaine Dunne, chairperson FECP, with other protesters.

Photo: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

The protest, organised by the Federation of Early Childhood Providers (FECP), is to highlight the fact the new core funding proposals are threatening to close hundreds of local services, say providers.

Around 500 of its members closed their Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) childcare services on Friday, leaving thousands of parents across the country without childcare.

A second day of protest is planned for November 25.

FECP surveys indicate that somewhere in the region of over 260 childcare services across Ireland are expected to close completely in the coming year, due to State subsidies failing to account for rising energy costs, staffing overheads, and other inflation-linked pressures.

Chairperson of the FECP Elaine Dunne said over 80 providers have had to shut their doors so far this year, and more will have to close if there is no change in the amount of Government funding offered.

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Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Dunne said 62 facilities closed in 2021, 77 in 2020, and 77 in 2019.

“We are not going to sit back and allow these services to be forced to close their doors in June of next year because of lack of funding; because the Government are not listening to us," she said.

'Feeling marginalised'

Many of the childcare providers taking to the streets feel they have been ‘marginalised’ by the Government’s new core funding model.

The model, introduced by Children’s Minister, Roderic O’Gorman, has also seen smaller providers lose higher capitation and support payments, leaving their ECCE services completely unviable, according to the representative group.

Smaller independent providers, especially those catering specifically for the State-subsidised ECCE scheme (Early Childhood Care and Education) are most disadvantaged, according to Ms Dunne.

“It is ironic that a Government purporting to support local enterprise and SMEs cannot properly fund small businesses in the childcare sector. And these are the very ones running the State’s own childcare initiatives.

"ECCE is about early learning for pre-schoolers, and it facilitates parents contributing to the labour market.

"The current situation where the minister is determined not to engage on a solution just flies in the face of industry and enterprise on so many levels."

Mr O’Gorman said it was “disappointing” that the protests were going ahead and said they were “unwarranted". He said the Government had prioritised childcare in the budget and ECCE services received €14m in funding last year and €27m this year.

Mr O’Gorman said he has engaged extensively with FECP and will do so again but asked they “withdraw the threat of the second day of closures later on this month”, citing it is unfair on impacted families.

Childcare closures will be countrywide, with many holding protests outside workplaces or at local TDS constituency offices.

Mr O’Gorman said: “It's really important to say that the investment is going into core funding.

“It won't be going into capitation because core funding does come with some conditions, and I think that's important and a key condition there is the fee freeze.

“And I make no apologies for working to link the very significant extra funding quarter of a billion this year to some conditions like a fee freeze so that parents can also see a benefit from the extra investments the state is putting in place.”