Society and government should value early years education more, says Foley

Children's minister Norma Foley cuts a special;y-made Ukrainian cake  after she officially opened Áiseanna na hÓige, a family support centre and early years facility in Dingle, Co Kerry, last Saturday. Picture: Don MacMonagle

Irish society "misses a trick" by not holding early years educators in the same esteem as primary or secondary teachers, the minister for children has said.

Norma Foley said that staffing has risen to 39,000 in the childcare sector in recent years, but that a societal shift is needed to "value" the expertise of those staff.

"I think it's really important that we acknowledge the expertise and the talent that the staff brings to this area," she said. 

"We really value what happens in primary and post-primary. I think society misses a trick when we don't put the same element of priority on early years, for the simple reason that all of our experience and education would tell us that if we can intervene at the earliest point in a child's life, the outcome for a child is better in the long term.

"I think wider society, indeed Government, but wider society also valuing what's achieved every day in the early years sector will be a positive step forward."

Ms Foley said that Carla Geary, one of the stars of season two of The Traitors, was a "great ambassador" for early years educators.

Carla Geary

“Carla Geary embodies the spirit and character of our early years educators, who bring their enthusiasm, experience, good humour, and positivity to all of Ireland’s youngest children," said Ms Foley. 

"It was also a pleasure to hear her using her 'cúpla focail', which is also something that many of our early years educators do to spread the love of our native language.

"I think everyone, myself included, who watched her surviving and thriving right until the very end of The Traitors could only admire her quick wit, her adaptability, and her skill in building warm and meaningful relationships with her fellow contestants.”

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Ms Foley added that she is hopeful that a new proposal for increases of over 6% to minimum rates of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners will be agreed in the coming weeks.

The proposals have been put forward by the joint labour committee (JLC), which includes employer and worker representatives, and Ms Foley said that she had hoped the new employment regulation orders — which have a ringfenced €45m set aside to cover pay — would have been in place sooner.

"I'm pleased that we seem to be at an accommodation at this point, but it's up to the JLC to make the full announcement in relation to this," she said.