Please minister, protect our children

WE, the undersigned national childcare organisations, formed as the National Voluntary Childcare Collaborative (NVCC,) are calling on Minister Brian Lenihan to highlight the outcry we are aware of from our close contact with a very large number of families and children in a wide variety of settings, including pre-schools, community and private childcare services and hospitals.

We acknowledge the seriousness of the current economic situation and the difficult decisions that arise for Government however we are very concerned that many of the savings contained in the McCarthy report will have a detrimental impact on children and families.

While welcoming the introduction of the free pre-school year for every child, we are very concerned that broader government investment in childcare should not be reduced until the necessary provision for high quality childcare services can be assured for children throughout the country.