The Socialist Party believes that childcare should not just be based on having somewhere for children to be minded while their parents are at work. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is essential for all children. Quality childcare that puts the social and educational needs of children first should be a legal right for all children. The provision of ECCE should have the same status in law and society as primary and secondary education, i.e., that it should be as normal for an infant to participate in ECCE as it is for a child to attend school.
The Socialist Party believes that the benefits of early childhood care and education as well as after-school and holiday care for children will impact directly on the quality of life for children and parents. Fundamentally it will have enormous benefits for the educational, social and personal development of all children.
Irish parents have to cope with many problems. Due to the greed of developers and builders the cost of buying a house to provide a secure home for their children is a major burden. Parents also have to deal with the costs and inadequacies of the health service and the education system. On top of this is the nightmare for many parents of long commutes and dealing with the daily stress and strain of traffic congestion. In recent years these and other difficulties have been added to by the increasing problem of accessing affordable quality childcare and pre-school education for their children. Due to this myriad of difficulties the quality of life for most parents and children has deteriorated during the last 15 years.
There is no state provision of after school care or holiday clubs for children during the school holidays which directly impacts on the ability of parents to work full time. The universal provision of after school care and holiday clubs would provide children with great opportunities. Greater access to playing sports with all of the health and social benefits that go with this as well as giving children the opportunity to learn music or art, and the space to develop their interests and hobbies and simply to play with their friends in a safe environment.
The Socialist Party also believes that in order to allow parents to have the space to play a bigger role directly in the care and development of their children that fundamental changes are needed in the area of maternity, paternity and parental leave.
During the last 15 years of economic growth none of the major political parties who have been in government, Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the PDs or the Labour Party have done anything of significance to overcome the problem of access to quality childcare, pre-school education or after school care. Instead of investing in this essential social service they have instead placed another financial burden onto the shoulders of parents.
Affordability of childcare is a major issue, but in of itself this is only one of a number of problems. In most cases parents have limited choices and are in a situation whereby they have to make do with whatever form of childcare they can find.
The absence of state funded childcare is adding to the difficulties faced by many working class parents in the South. Historically the Southern Irish state has provided no childcare or pre-school facilities therefore forcing women to stay at home as unpaid childminders. The cost of housing and the ever increasing cost of living means that most parents are not in a position to make the choice for one of them to stay at home or to work part-time in order to mind their children in their early years.
At present virtually all of the government’s policies on childcare centre on limited state subsidies for the voluntary childcare sector; subsidies to private childcare providers; benefits and allowances to parents to assist with the cost of private childcare.
The vast majority of childcare is provided by the private sector. Government grants and benefit payments to parents are therefore subsidising the profits of this sector. The government claims that child benefit payments and the childcare allowance is a major assistance for parents in helping them cover childcare costs and to provide for their children.
However according to the National Women’s Council of Ireland (September 2005): “At the current rate a mother with 2 children will receive €283.20 per month. [Child Benefit]. Even based on the 2002 NCNA [National Children’s Nursery Association] childcare costs estimates for Dublin, the monthly childcare costs for two children amounts to €1,473, meaning that the increased child benefit…does not even cover one fifth (19.2%) of the monthly childcare bill.”
An article in the Irish Times, 20 September 2006 highlighted the difficulties for parents but also the lack of investment in childcare by the government.
“The costs of childcare in Ireland are among the highest in Europe, and appear to be rising, according to a major new OECD report. As the childcare sector is mainly private, parental fees are the major source of funding of services, it continues. Costs to Irish parents for children aged up to three years correspond to 30 per cent of the disposable income of the average double-income family, unless children are in community care where childcare subsidies exist. The major services offered to parents here include unregulated childminding, and regulated family daycare and nurseries. However, the report notes that regulated outside-school provision does not exist in Ireland. The report also notes that funding of publicly financed services for children under three years and outside-school provision was 0.007 per cent of GDP in 2002.”
The two major political blocs contesting the general election of Fianna Fail and the PDS and of Fine Gael and Labour have historically failed to provide for the needs of children and parents in this society.
The Socialist Party believes that the state should provide free universal quality early childhood care and education, and after school and holiday care for all children. It is paramount that the needs of children are put first therefore fundamental changes are needed. There needs to be a transformation in the way that this society provides for the needs of children. To achieve this transformation we believe that the following changes are necessary.
The Socialist Party stands for:
• That free Early Childhood Care and Education should be provided by the state for all children from the age of 6 months until they attend primary school.
• For publicly owned community-based daycare (crèche) facilities to be provided free of charge by the state for all children aged 6 months – 2 years.
• For publicly owned free pre-school education for all children from the age of 2 until they start primary school. Pre-school facilities where possible should be constructed alongside primary schools. When this isn’t possible then childcare centres should be purpose built that would contain daycare/crèche and pre-school facilities.
• After school care to be available to all parents of children at primary and secondary schools, aged up to 14, from 8.00am until school starts and from after school until 6.00pm on school premises. This resource would allow schools to provide children with homework study time and facilities for sports and leisure pursuits. Holiday clubs sited in primary and secondary schools to be resourced and funded by the government.
• To allow parents to play a greater role in the care and needs of their children in early childhood that paid maternity leave should be extended to 52 weeks. For the introduction of 12 weeks paid paternity leave and 52 weeks paid parental leave to be used by either parent as they choose until a child reaches the age of eight.
• In order to improve the quality of childcare and early education there needs to be the establishment of a standardised third level diploma course for childcare workers and a degree course for pre-school teachers. Wage levels of childcare workers to be linked to an agreed upon comparable grade in the public sector. Wage levels of pre-school teachers to be linked to primary school teachers.
