Childcare is more than a cost centre

High-quality and consistent childcare should be a right for every child — it's not just a cost-of-living issue, writes Teresa Heeney of Early Childhood Ireland

Commitments to reduce out-of-pocket costs for parents provides only false hope for the many worried about the current expense, and no hope at all for those who can't even get their child in the door of an early years setting. File picture

With many early years settings closed for the summer, parents across the country have been conducting UN mission levels of co-ordination to organise camps, clubs, and grandparents’ cover for children for the next six to eight weeks. 

Simultaneously, many staff — largely graduates — are signing on to social welfare to bridge their own gaps over the coming months. This has happened every summer for years. You might imagine that qualifies it as an issue to be addressed by the Government in the upcoming Budget.