Crisis in Childcare

tuppence

I was wondering what any of you think of the pending changes in funding in childcare provision. The government are proposing a new grant scheme, which will effectively remove a more generalised subsidy for all parents in favour of targeting funding toward specific vulnerable groups.



I reckon that while good on paper this will have the effect of putting at risk these essential service providers mainly working to meet a local need in an affordable manner. Essentially, it will increase the cost of theses services making them unaffordable for many. It will pitch one group of people against another as subsidised places are for a very select band of welfare recipients, thus increasing the risk of stigma. It also uses a very crude measure of poverty, using benefit entitlement. Many more people are at risk to poverty. Many have used these community facilities as a gateway to get back to the workforce and an available asset to the local economies. Local communities depend on them to entice families, as they are an important feature that many parents will look for when choosing a place to live.
The Leitrim Observer did a good piece, and they flag up to meeting for specific groups at risk in Ballinamore and Dromahair. But essentially this is a National and North West issue. I suppose the more people that get involved the better as political representatives are supposed to be at these meetings.
http://www.leitrimobserver.ie/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=2571&ArticleID=3411712