Dr Catherine Conlon: Public childcare good for our society

The availability of free childcare for all children allows kids the potential to develop to their full social and cognitive capacity, while at the same time reducing the risk of poverty by giving parents the opportunity to work or retrain

'We need a system that either allows parents the choice to care for their children at home or to stay in work and place their children in a nurturing childcare environment.' File picture

I WAS one of seven children, born in Dublin in the 1960s. My father was a family doctor, having renovated the garage in our home in Rathfarnham, to act as waiting room and surgery.

My mother answered the phone, made appointments, typed the bills, sewed and knit clothes for her family, baked brown bread and scones every day, and had dinner on the table at one o'clock on the dot to allow for the regimen of family surgeries.