Tag Archives: Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme (ECCE)

A GROUP of 25 Clare early education providers swapped the classroom for the streets when they staged a one-day protest in O’Connell Street, Ennis recently. Eilis Wall, who runs a Pre-School in Shannon catering for 30 children, said college graduates with four-year degrees were expected to work in the early years sector for €13.50 per hour. “We only get paid for 38 weeks of the year for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). “Our staff have to sign on for the summer holidays and this year had to wait six weeks to get paid lower than the dole rate. “Under the core funding model, we haven’t got any extra pay. We haven’t received our core funding yet. If I had four graduates, I only get paid for one graduate. “I am renting in a primary school. The school has helped to make it affordable to stay open. We want to be paid like teachers. A Special Needs Assistant starts on …

Fears have been expressed about the viability of the early childcare education sector after Clare pre-school facilities were “snubbed” and “discriminated against” in the €11 Billion 2023 Budget. Concern about the lack of adequate funding for Clare pre-schools has been expressed by Deputy Michael McNamara in his Budget speech. “The so-called universal payment towards the cost of childcare is not universal but rather relates to everybody who comes through the national childcare scheme. “I accept that is a lot of people, but it is not everybody. There is no sort of tax credit system, such as that which exists in the UK, towards the cost of childcare, so it is not going to be universal, even if it was flagged as such by the line Minister, Deputy (Roderic) O’Gorman.” Donna McNamara who provides early education to 11 children in the Tiny Tots Montessori/Preschool Ennis said the government provided no extra funding in the Budget on Tuesday to Early Childhood Care …