Fine Gael wants to ensure the best start for every child and invest in high quality early years education and childcare and in this regard, has launched a survey to consult with parents and industry stakeholders on their views on its future direction. The evidence is clear that investing in early childhood education reaps great rewards in later life, reduces educational inequalities, and enables women to fulfil their ambitions.
Fine Gael understands the pressures of juggling care, work, and life responsibilities, and parents need to be provided with options to choose what is right for them. Government has already invested over €1.1bn in the sector, years ahead of its own investment targets, prioritising the preschool programme Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE), reducing costs for parents, increasing pay for childcare professionals, and improving supports for childcare providers. Parents have been supported with a reduction in childcare fees, the introduction of paid Paternity Leave, and Parents Leave, an increased Home Carer Tax Credit, remote working options, and more.
I’m very proud of the work that Fine Gael in government has done in terms of early years education and to reduce the costs of childcare, but I do think we now need to lift the scale of ambition. The vision is to make Ireland the best country in Europe to be a child. We are embarking on this consultation process with stakeholders, to ensure the change we enact is one that works for children, parents and crucially for early years educators who will deliver a service our children can thrive within. In making this shift, we will be able to improve the levels of support, training and pay for staff working in the sector who play a vital part in delivering quality care and education to our most precious citizens. The plans will be developed by working with everyone in the sector and this consultation will form part of that work on informing how we propose to transition to a public early year’s education and childcare model.
If this subject interests you, please have your say by submitting your views by visiting www.finegael.ie/haveyoursay
