GIANT STEPS FIND THEIR FEET AT PROTEST

STAFF at Gorey’s Giant Steps Montessori Playschool joined thousands of early years educators, providers and parents who together with some general election candidates marched through Dublin city centre demanding a ‘new deal’ for childcare providers in Ireland.

Sheila Kinsella and Rosemary Barnes of Giant Steps said that they agree with the call from the Together For Early Years campaign, which is calling on the next government to double the funding to early childhood education and care services on an incremental basis over the lifetime of the next government to bring Ireland closer to the EU average.

As well as provide the necessary funding and mechanism for a living wage for early years educators in 2020 as a first step towards professional pay and recognition.

The group are also calling for the establishment of a streamlined inspection process with a graded compliance system and an introduction of a new funding model that supports affordability and accessibility for parents and conditions for educators, as committed to in First 5 government strategy.

Rosemary Barnes said that the closing Giant Steps for the day and joining thousands to take part in the strike really showed the gravity of the situation at the moment.

‘The two of us co-owners went along, we took part in a march some years but it wasn’t as large as this. There was a huge jump in our insurance, which was the straw that broke the camel’s back although it wasn’t the main issue raised at the protest.

‘Our insurance trembled this year, and we don’t have any claims against us so it came out of the blue’.

Rosemary explained that the level of required paperwork to simply operate has become too much.

‘‘The amount of paperwork is increasing every year, everyone has said enough is enough. The re-registation process, it leaves us still waiting on a cert to say that we can operate. It’s something we’ve had everyday since we’ve been opened and we’ve been inspected.

‘We are still waiting on that cert to be designed to say we’re registered, but we’re told it could take three months.

‘This came because of the Hide and Seek scandal last year, but they’ve hit everybody with the same brush. There’s no consultation, we are just told to jump through the hoop and we have to do it’.

Increasing costs of bills, such as having to pay for the installation of a new fire system, is having an impact locally too.

‘We operate morning and after school service, but the wages here hasn’t come up ten years later.

‘Our benchmark, especially for young people in the sector is to have a living wage so they can get a mortgage, really so they can live’.

Protests are said to continue if the matter is not dealt with when the Dáil sits.

‘We are caring for the most vulnerable in our work as we want to be recognised as educators, that the government recognises and respects are important professionals.

‘Some staff get €12.50, we have to have a level playing field. Community crèches got grants to do up their fire system, we had to pay ourselves,’ said Rosemary.

A spokesperson for SIPTU said that the sector is in crisis. ‘More than 60% of educators earn less than the living wage of €12.30 per hour and parents are paying some of the highest fees in Europe. The next government has a choice, will it continue with a failing system, or will it invest in a new system that delivers for parents, educators, providers and children’.

THIS CAME LAST YEAR WITH THE HIDE AND SEEK SCANAL, BUT THEY’VE HIT EVERYBODU WITH THE SAME BRUSH