05/06/2022
Fiction: Our Minister has said there is no need for further funding for ECCE-Only services as DCEDIY already fund the full costs incurred by providers delivering the service.
Fact 1: We are funded for only 3 hours per day Capitation, 5 days per week over 38 weeks. They pay us just under 8 minutes extra per day PSP for non contact time (8 days x 3 hours for the whole year). That’s 15 hours and 40 minutes capitation per week over 38 weeks.
Fact 2: A lot of ECCE-only services are paying staff 20 to 25 hours per week for 41 weeks (including holiday pay) along with sometimes paying assistant managers and managers. We must also cover Employer’s PRSI payments for all staff.
Fact 3: ECCE-Only services must finance every cost for their services out of this Capitation over 52 weeks, costs which have risen massively over the 12 years of the ECCE scheme, with only a rise of 7% in Capitation 4 years ago.
Fact 4: The volume of paperwork providers and educators must complete to comply with Childcare Regulations and to be compliant with inspections by Pobal, Tusla, Department of Education, HSA and NERA, along with curriculum planning, parent meetings etc etc cannot possibly be completed within the 3 hours funded time, along with setting up and sanitising classrooms on a daily basis.
Fact 5: Most providers are paying up to €2000 per year to subsidise AIM assistant’s wages, holiday pay and PRSI payments, as the scheme is grossly underfunded.
Fact 6: As the figures above prove, under Core Funding, ECCE-only services will NOT be sustainable on any long term basis. Some will close this month, some will try to struggle on for another year as they don’t want to let down parents and children, but if the Core Funding scheme is not revised as a matter of urgency, there is no future for any of this fantastic cohort of Early Years Educators who have been the backbone of the industry for decades. It’s a sad sad time !!