Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2023
934. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will ensure that funding is put in place for childcare providers to receive a wage all year round. [13051/23]
View answerI am very conscious of staffing pressures in the early learning and childcare (ELC) sector, and of the need for improvement in pay and working conditions for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners.
As the State does not employ staff in ELC and school-age childcare (SAC) services, I cannot set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector. Additionally, as ELC services are private businesses, their policies on operating hours and staffing are a matter for the service provider. As such, the decision to close a service for part of the year, e.g. outside term-times for services that offer the ECCE free pre-school programme, lies with the service provider.
In December 2021 I published "Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC), 2022-2028" . This Plan includes specific actions for moving to a graduate-led workforce by 2028, establishing a career framework for staff working in the ELC and SAC sector, including role profiles, qualifications requirements and the strengthening of career pathways. Nurturing Skills also includes actions to support the recruitment and retention of staff with the necessary qualifications, and ongoing staff training and development, to create a workforce which feels valued and is motivated to deliver the best possible service to children.
For more information on Nurturing Skills please see www.gov.ie/NurturingSkills.
One of the key enablers set out in Nurturing Skills was the need to improve the pay and conditions for the workforce. On 15 September 2022, following a process I commenced the year before, the first ever Employment Regulation Orders for Early Years Services came into effect, setting new minimum hourly rates of pay for different roles in the sector, including higher minimum rates for lead educators and managers with relevant degree-level qualifications.
It is estimated that 73% of those working in the sector saw their wages rise as a result. The Orders are being supported by Core Funding, which has an allocation of €259 million in its first year, to support improvements in staff wages, a freeze in parental fees, and sustainability of services.
