CHILDCARE PROVIDERS have warned that financially stretched parents will have no choice but to take their children out of creches unless there is more Government investment in the sector.
Official figures show that Irish parents pay more for childcare than most Europeans, while the Government spends less on childcare and early education than any other EU country.
While acknowledging the financial problems facing the Government, the Irish Preschool Play Association (IPPA) has said more investment is needed in childcare in the forthcoming budget to improve the quality of care and make the service more affordable.
"Public policy needs to catch up with the youngest of our citizens as society and the economy depends on it, especially in a recession," said Irene Gunning of the IPPA.
"We need to take a long-term approach and nurture and reinforce the childcare sector by investing more rather than be seduced by a short-term gain in the Exchequer figures for 2008, at the expense of children."
She said quality of childcare was vital to the development of children and offered huge financial and social rewards in later years. For example, a Government advisory body, the National Social and Economic Forum, has estimated that every €1 spent on early childhood education yields a return of more than €7 in later life.
"Quality matters to children, to parents and to practitioners alike and the best way to ensure that quality comes first is to invest in staff training," said Ms Gunning.
"For children, without question, the most important element of quality is the people who care for them. The building might be palatial, the equipment the most up-to-date and the meals delicious but if the people looking after the children are just not interested and don't stretch the child's imagination and learning capability, the rest comes a poor second," said Ms Gunning.
The IPPA said it was concerned that it would lose much of the momentum around investment in quality as a result of the current economic difficulties.
It said the Government's decision to close a unit working to develop education for pre-school children, the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education, as well as the closure of the National Play Resource Centre, had not been encouraging steps.
According to the IPPA, one of the dangers of the recession is that parents may opt to take their children out of creches and place them with untrained childminders in order to save money. "We're hearing that this is happening already in many cases. Unregulated childminders will be able to offer a cheaper service, but there are no guarantees over the quality of childcare," Ms Gunning said.
The IPPA acknowledges that childcare costs are high but says increases in childcare support - such as the €1,100 childcare supplement - would help parents. It concedes too, though, that many childcare providers need to become better at managing money.
"However, our members face a real challenge in their business model," she said.
"It's like a stool with three legs that is very tricky to balance. One leg is staff pay and qualifications, another leg is meeting regulated ratio requirements and quality standards, and the third leg is keeping the cost to parents down."
