Trade union Siptu today called on the Government to scrap its new childcare funding scheme after a report found it threatens services to disadvantaged children.
More than 40 per cent of community childcare organisations in Dublin’s inner city have reported cutbacks under the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme.
Families struggling the hardest to get themselves out of poverty and into employment are very likely to lose affordable care as a result, it is claimed.
Siptu has urged Children’s Minister Barry Andrews abandon the scheme. Branch organiser Gerry Flanagan said resulting fee hikes of between 50 per cent and 166 per cent at the childcare projects is hitting low-income families particularly hard.
“For some parents these increases are simply unaffordable and they have had to take their children out of childcare,” he said.
The Dublin Inner City Partnership and Inner City Community Childcare Providers Network (ICCCPN), who published the report, have also demanded the scheme be replaced.
Their study of 15 inner city community childcare providers claims there is a real risk that services will close with vulnerable children losing access to pre-school education.
Over half (58 per cent) of the organisations are worried the new scheme will impact on quality of services for children and families.
The report also found that providers hit by the cutbacks this year will continue to have their funding reduced to 85 per cent in 2009 and to 75 per cent in 2010, on last year’s level.
Mr Flanagan urged the Children’s Minister to work with Siptu and childcare professionals to develop a new system that meets the needs of parents, local communities, workers and children.
PA