Government’s childcare policy in shreds
The 50,000 childcare places promised by the Government under the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP) has been almost halved.
Just 25,912 new childcare places are due to be delivered by 2010; another blow to parents of young children who are facing cuts in child benefit and the early childcare supplement in next month's emergency budget.
According to the Central Statistic Office (CSO), the cost of childcare has risen by 6 per cent in the past year alone, at the same time as hundreds of childcare projects are being shelved and €34m worth of new and extended facilities abandoned.
"It's clear that the Government is failing to implement a coherent childcare policy," said Alan Shatter, Fine Gael spokesman on children.
"Their announced strategy is completely unravelling to the detriment of the poorest communities."
The National Children's Nursery Association Director of Services Teresa Heeney said the key flaw in the Government's plan was that it was based on the premise that the creation of more places would bring the cost down for parents.
"That was wrong because the key cost driver is salary, and with most staff already on the minimum wage, those costs simply can't be reduced," Ms Heeney said. (Source: Irish Independent)
April 5th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I have learned from experience that working and raising children for women is not as simple as it seems.
I feel we were conned by the patriarchal system into believing we mothers could have it all.
Yes, we can have it all, but at what price.?
Who is really gaining here?
Yes, the system, as it collects more tax from mothers, creates jobs for those unable to get better jobs, as child care is not given proper attention like in Norway.
And then when the children are older and the mother is left exhausted, and learns she was deliberatley fooled by those who bled her of tax, energy, time with children, and above all time to think of what is really going on.
I am writing this, after becoming exhausted and having to quit work in order for me to see how I was conned by the system, who really only cared about how much money they could make out of me and my children.