There are calls on government to commit to a public childcare model, ahead of announcing next year's budget.
The National Women's Council of Ireland held a campaign Tuesday, calling on the Irish government to introduce a new, public model of childcare to next year's budget, to make it more affordable for parents.
In a post on their X, formerly known as Twitter, account, they said “we're calling on government to commit to a public model of childcare in Budget 2024.”
“Women are struggling, providers are struggling. We need to reform the sector to deliver affordable, accessible childcare for all #PurpleForPublic.”
The call to action comes ahead of the 2024 budget, which is expected to be announced Tuesday 10th October 2023.
The day began at Liberty Hall, where members of the NWCI were joined by representatives from the Children's Rights Alliance, SIPTU and Pavey Point, to discuss their concerns regarding the state of childcare in Ireland.
“We're at Liberty Hall with a panel of experts & members of the public, outlining the need for public childcare" the NWCI shared on X.
The campaign was met with support from various political parties along with NGO’s and the public, with people showing their alliance by using the hashtag, #PurpleForPublic
The council's care officer Eilish Balfe explained “public, affordable childcare is our number one budget ask. This would mean guaranteed early years place for children, affordable fees for parents & decent wages for workers. It needs to be a child's right to access this.”
“It also means the women who most need it; lone parents, low-paid workers, and women from minority groups, can access childcare on an equal footing" said Eilish.
Speaking on NewsTalk with Andrea Gilligan, Eilish described the situation.
“At the moment the childcare sector is in crisis in Ireland, we need to reform it,” she said
“It's not working for parents who are to the pin of their collar paying fees, it's not working for educators who are highly skilled, highly educated, and they are not even on the living wage, and it is not working for providers, who are struggling as well.”
“We are asking the government to fund the early years sector” Eilish told Andrea.
“Basically it would be the child's right to access a place of early years education like it is for primary and secondary school education.”
Stephen Moffatt, of Barnardos charity, spoke out in support of the cause.
“Establishing a child maintenance agency would improve the lives of many parents and many children we support” he said.
"It could potentially reduce the risk of poverty for many children in our services living in lone parent families, providing greater financial certainty & security".
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