Stepping Stones Preschool Cork

https://www.facebook.com/share/19TLeEfD2e/

Mother calls for Govt to address lack of childcare spaces With less than a week to go before Budget 2026, many parents are wondering if accessibility to childcare will be addressed.

We have an ECCE space available for an immediate start.
Please contact Sara on 087 945 5878 for more information.

Thank you!

https://www.facebook.com/100063476323663/posts/1333498718775993/

ECCE Space Available – September Start

We have an ECCE preschool space available for this September.

To book or find out more, please contact Sara on 087 945 5878.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1ChYSs8r4R/

🚨ENOUGH IS ENOUGH🚨

The early years sector is at breaking point — and we brought your voices directly to the Minister and the Department.

We went in with fire in our bellies, carrying the weight of everything you’re dealing with on the ground — the stress, the uncertainty, the unfairness, and the deep, ongoing exhaustion.

And we told them the truth:

➡ That the funding model is fundamentally broken. It’s built on outdated assumptions, it doesn’t reflect real-life operating hours, and it punishes the very providers who built this sector.

➡ That fee freezes have created a two-tier system — where some services are locked into unsustainable pricing, while others can open next door and charge significantly more. That’s not progress. That’s oppression, and it’s hurting children and families in the most vulnerable communities.

➡ That AIM supports are failing in practice. Providers are taking in children with serious additional needs — without notice, without funding, and without training. These children deserve more, and so do the staff trying to support them. We raised concerns about legal threats, health and safety risks, and the complete lack of timely support for these children and the educators caring for them.

➡ That managers are being pulled into rooms, covering basic care needs with no additional staff support — because core funding no longer allows for support workers. Managers are being squeezed, overworked, and underpaid, and we said it clearly: You can’t maintain quality by pushing leadership back onto the floor.

➡ That mental health in the sector is in crisis. Burnout is no longer a risk — it’s the norm. Providers are exhausted, some are medicated, others are walking away. And the heartbreaking part? It’s not because they don’t care. It’s because they care too much — and the system is letting them down.

➡ That the current expansion model is reckless and uncoordinated. Planning rules have disappeared. New services are opening in already saturated areas, driving out small providers, while other communities remain under-served. The chaos is unsustainable — and it’s being driven by short-term decisions instead of long-term strategy.

➡ That women — who make up the vast majority of this workforce — are being financially punished and emotionally drained by a system that undervalues their work and their worth. Many are surviving on wages no one in government would accept.

We also reminded them:

✅ That we are employers.
✅ That we are educators.
✅ That we are business owners, leaders, and advocates.
✅ That we carry the weight of a broken system and still show up for children every single day.

And most importantly:

💬 “If the government wants this model, they need to treat us like partners — not control us without consultation, undervalue our role, and strip us of our ability to run sustainable services.”

🛑 To every provider who’s struggling, thinking of closing, or feeling invisible — you are not alone.

We hear you.
We fight for you.
And we will continue to bring your truth to every table we can sit at.

👉 Now we ask you: stand with us.
Join us in pushing for a future where early years education is funded fairly, staffed properly, and respected as the essential foundation of our society.

Click the link to join us 👇

https://fecp.ie/register/the-federation-of-early-childhood-providers-membership-application/

Because one voice can spark a conversation.
But a united voice can start a movement.

Let’s move.

ECCE Space Available – September Start

We have an ECCE preschool space available for this September.

To book or find out more, please contact Sara on 087 945 5878.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BiDkvBDvw/

🥺

https://www.facebook.com/share/1L89goCnsc/

We had a new recruit to Afterschool today , she was a great hit 💕💕

Please see a copy of our Parent’s statement 2024 2025 attached.