Alliance of 30 organisations calls for public system of early childhood education and care
Published: Thursday, September 19, 2024
Alliance of 30 organisations calls for public system of early childhood education and care
Organisations say the current childcare system is broken and cannot deliver the service children deserve
Press release embargoed to 00:01AM on Thursday 19 September
A new civil society alliance, Together for Public, which launched today (19th September), called for the introduction of a public system of early childhood education and care to address the crisis in Ireland’s childcare system. Led by the National Women’s Council, the Alliance brings together over 30 organisations including children’s rights advocates, trade unions, academics, anti-poverty and women’s rights organisations.
Speakers at the launch event highlighted the significant impact of the childcare crisis on children, women, families, early childhood educators, and wider society, citing high costs, lack of places, and high staff turnover as some of the issues. The Alliance is calling on all political parties to commit to a public system of early childhood education and care, similar to our primary school system, in order to meet the rights and needs of children, families and women.
Director of the National Women’s Council, Orla O’Connor, said:
“Our vision is a system where every child in the country is guaranteed a high-quality, affordable place from whenever families need it. Such a system would mean that mothers – whether they are working, or in education, or otherwise involved in society – can participate fully in society. Because women are still the primary caregivers for children. Combined with better paid leave for parents, a public system would be a game-changer for women’s economic equality.
Ahead of the next General Election, childcare has been firmly placed on the political agenda with many parties outlining their ideas and plans. Our alliance now wants to see this translate into real and tangible commitments towards a system change and the development of our vision of a public system in all political party manifestos and the next programme for government.”
Mathias Urban, Director of the Early Childhood Research Centre at DCU and keynote speaker at today’s launch, said:
“The current market model leaves large numbers of children and families without access to early childhood education and care. All young children have a right to education and care, regardless of their background, any additional needs they might have, or where in Ireland they live. A public system writes children’s rights into legislation from birth.”
Amy Greer Murphy, a mother-of-three based in Meath, said:
“I had to turn down my dream job because I couldn’t find the childcare to match it. This had a significant impact on my mental wellbeing. And it’s a reality facing so many women at the moment, turning down promotions or new jobs, or going part-time or leaving work altogether because of limited childcare options.”
Other speakers at the launch event included Gayle Smith, Treoir; Lynette Monk, Manager of a Community Childcare and Afterschool Service; Elaine McQuillian, CEO, Start Bright; Tracey Reilly, Pavee Point. The event was chaired by academic, teacher, broadcaster and high-profile science communicator, Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin.
The Alliance understands the key components of a public system as: guaranteeing a place for every child through legislation, starting from whenever parents need it and including school aged childcare; not for profit, with all investment directly benefiting children’s education and care; accessible and available to all children, including children with additional needs, children living in rural areas, and children in disadvantaged areas; ensuring decent pay and working conditions for early years educators; providing flexibility and choice for parents and allowing in particular women and all parents to participate fully in society; and combining public childcare provision with better paid and longer family leave, giving parents real choices in terms of caring for their children and work life balance.
Find out more here: https://www.nwci.ie/discover/what_we_do/together_for_public
Ends/
For comment: Orla O’Connor, NWC Director; Mathias Urban, Director of the Early Childhood Research Centre (ECRC) at DCU; Amy Greer Murphy, parent – as well as speakers from the Alliance and more parents ready to share their story on the day. Find bios for all below.
For more information, please contact Sinéad Nolan, NWC Communications and Social Media Coordinator, on sineadn@nwci.ie
Notes:
What: Launch of the Alliance for a Public System of Early Childhood Education and Care
When: 19 September, 11am to 12.30pm with photocall at 10:45
Where: The Irish Architectural Archive, 45 Merrion Square, Dublin 2
Over 25 organisations have already joined the Alliance: Aontas; CDI - Childhood Development Initiative; Community Platform; Community Work Ireland; Creative Kids Early Learning Centre; EAPN - European Anti-Poverty Network; Family Resource Centres; Forsa; ICA - Irish Countrywomen's Association; ICTU - Irish Congress of Trade Union; INOU - Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed; INTO - Irish National Teachers' Association; Meath Women's Refuge; MRCI - Migrants Rights Centre Ireland; One Family; Pavee Point; Plé; Saoirse Domestic Violence Service; SIPTU; SPARK; Start Bright; SVP - The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul; Tréoir; Unite the Union; USI - Union of Students Ireland; Women For Election
Parent bios
Emma, Sligo Having moved to Sligo from Dublin, Emma is having severe problems finding childcare for her child. She currently has only secured childcare for two days a week and is extremely worried about the impact this is going to have on her career as she is also looking for work.
Amy, Meath Amy had to turn down her dream job because of the lack of affordable and appropriate childcare in her area. She says this has had a significant impact on her mental wellbeing.
Rebecca, Kildare Rebecca initially felt very lucky to get spaces for her two children in a new creche in her town. However, following ongoing difficulties with the management team there, she struggled to find alternative childcare arrangements and felt trapped by the lack of accessibility and choice.
Jessica, Dublin As a former early years educator herself, Jessica was very surprised when her creche mishandled some minor issues. Her child’s place was terminated with immediate effect, and she was left with no childcare and no way to appeal the decision. Both Jessica and her husband work full-time. She is extremely concerned about the lack of choices for parents in situations like these.
Speaker bios
Keynote Speaker Mathias Urban, PhD, is Desmond Chair of Early Childhood Education, and Director of the Early Childhood Research Centre (ECRC) at Dublin City University, Ireland (DCU). He works on questions of policy related to diversity and equality, social justice, evaluation and professionalism in education and care systems for young children, families and communities in diverse socio-cultural contexts. Before joining DCU Mathias held the position of Froebel Professor of Early Childhood Studies and Director of the Early Childhood Research Centre at the University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom.
Gayle Smith is the Information and Policy officer at Treoir. Gayle is a lone parent and have advocated to further the rights of those parenting alone for more than a decade. She has a bachelor’s in social policy and sociology from Maynooth, and a master’s in social science (Rights and social policy)
Lynette Monk is the Manager of a Community Childcare and Afterschool Service. With multiple Degrees in Early Education, she has worked in this field as an educator and manager for almost 25 Years, across various settings many of which provide services for vulnerable children, refugees and traveller children. She has also worked with the City of Dublin VEC training early educators for a number of years in Inner City Dublin. In recent times Lynnette has been highly involved in SIPTU’s Big Start Campaign for better Pay and Conditions for Educators An award-winning educator for Inclusion, Lynnette works to champion affordable and accessible Early Education for all.
Elaine McQuillian is the CEO of Start Bright. Start Bright is a not-for-profit community service and they have 7 services that operate in Dublin. She has over 20 years’ experience in Early Years Education. She is passionate about delivering high quality sustainable community services for children and families in her care.
Tracey Reilly is a member of the Traveller community. Tracey was an early school leaver but continued her education through different routes. She completed a Batchelor of Social Science Degree in Community & Youth Work in Maynooth University with a First Class Honors. She has a long association with Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre and is currently a part-time community worker on the Education programme. As a mother to 2 small children and a Traveller woman Tracey sees the importance of early childhood education and education in progressing the rights of Travellers.
Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin is an academic, teacher, broadcaster and high-profile science communicator. An Associate Professor at UCD, her research focuses on teacher education and on making STEM more accessible. Aoibhinn is also mother to three children and has previously advocated for more maternity supports for women.
About NWC
The National Women’s Council is the leading national representative organisation for women and women’s groups in Ireland, founded in 1973. We have over 190 member groups and a large and growing community of individual supporters.
The ambition of the National Women’s Council is an Ireland where every woman enjoys true equality and no woman is left behind. This ambition shapes and informs our work, and, with our living values, how we work.
We are a movement-building organisation rooted in our membership, working on the whole island of Ireland. We are also part of the international movement to protect and advance women’s and girls’ rights. Our purpose is to lead action for the achievement of women’s and girls’ equality through mobilising, influencing, and building solidarity. Find out more on www.nwci.ie