Childcare group calls for Government 'mindset shift' to avoid 'third collapsed scheme'

Childcare body Seas Suas has called for Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to be appointed to the childcare taskforce to avoid a "third collapsed scheme".

The representative group has published a strategy document called ‘Reopen Safely, Recover Sustainably’, including 35 recommendations for safe, sustainable childcare.

The representative body for independent early learning and care providers (ELC), Seas Suas, has called for a “cross-government package” to address what they say will be a prolonged crisis in ELC provision.

The organisation also signalled that current efforts to reopen childcare are set to fail for a third time unless and until there is a fundamental mindset shift in Government.

Publishing its post-lockdown strategy document, Reopen Safely, Recover Sustainably, Seas Suas estimates an occupancy level as low as 20% or one in five children as the children of essential workers are prioritised.

While Seas Suas fully supports extensive health and safety measures and a cautious approach to reopening - documented in its 35 comprehensive recommendations to reopen – it has warned that without financial supports to make up for decreased incomes and increased costs, such as PPE and daily additional deep cleans, many early learning and care providers will choose not to reopen or may go out of business. This, in turn, will cause a shortage of places for young children and delay parents return to work nationally.

Privately owned and operated childcare providers employ 18,000 ELC professionals and other staff and care for over 144,000 children. In its ‘Reopen Safely, Recover Sustainably’ strategy document, Seas Suas outlines a comprehensive list of 35 recommendations for the safe reopen of childcare provision which includes:

• The appointment of a dedicated internal COVID-19 officer in childcare centres to implement health and safety procedures and monitor progress and risk
• Access to dedicated COVID-19 testing and results (within 24-hour period), along with dedicated contact tracing for childcare sector
• A COVID-19 child-friendly ‘education pack’ would be developed by providers to explain the measures to children, with regular practice sessions
• Children and their parents would visit their centre before re-opening as settling in arrangements require one to two weeks to re-establish connections
• Reassurance to parents about their child’s well-being and revised operating protocols would be provided