Clare childcare providers say they feel the sector has been ‘forgotten about’ by the State.
It comes as a new nationwide survey has revealed the sector is drifting further into crisis due to the impact of low pay and staff leaving the industry.
A survey of more than 3,000 managers and staff in the Early Years Staffing Survey Report showed the sector is facing a number of difficulties as Budget 2022 day fast approaches.
70 percent of managers who responded to the survey indicated it’s been ‘extremely difficult’ to find staff in the past 12 months, with the majority citing poor pay as the obstacle.
The report found more than 2 in 5 early years’ educators are looking for a job outside the sector.
Maureen Keane, manager of the Clare Family Resource Centre in Ennis, believes the role of education in childcare facilities is being forgotten about by the Government.
Childcare facilities in this county are also calling for extra clarity and further resources to deal with COVID-19 outbreaks when they arise.
It follows calls from principals for out of hours phone lines to be made available for contact tracing, with many providers suggesting they’ve had to ring parents themselves when cases happen.
The New Deal for Early Years Campaign is calling for State investment of a further 150 million euro towards pay and affordability measures in this year’s Budget.
Claire Tuohy, who’s owner and manager at Lifford Childcare Centre, says they need help in continuing to deal with the pandemic.
