Creche charging for child's place during closure.

salmocab

kennethsmyth wrote: »

And what will they expect parents of kids under 2 do?

They need to ask the creches what is actually feasible and then max out the hygiene but it maybe that they run as previously with additional realistic procedures otherwise like the restaurants they will open for a while and shut due to income levels.

Zappone needs to go away, no just no.

Additional to all of this is the young kids mental state, we are looking as segregating them into "pods" etc. This is not going to end well in the future socially.

Regards the U2’s or indeed anyone that loses out if any of these plans come through I’d imagine it will be tough luck. If numbers are cut it will have to be done in the most logical manner and after schoolers is the most obvious as they aren’t full time all the time and U2’s as they take up twice the space and staff as the older kids (not sure of the exact cut offs for the ratios). This isn’t something the crèches are going to want to do but something will have to give soon.

Cakerbaker

There isn’t a huge difference in staff ratios between 1-2 and 2-3, it’s 5 and 6. 3-6 is 8. Under 1s is 3 but my crèche doesn’t take them anymore.

I’m not so sure about cutting the after-school, in my creche the staff that run the ECCE class in the morning do the after school in the afternoon so it’s almost a separate bubble to the rest of the crèche. They’d nearly have to get rid of the ECCE class too if they were going to get rid of the after school. The after-school is also probably the most profitable part of their business if you compare the cost of that to the full time rates.

I’m just glad that I’ve an understanding employer who understands i May need to be primarily based at home until this is sorted. Thankfully I’ve a job where that is possible.

shesty

pc7 wrote: »

I have a child in Junior Infants, they receive one email a week with work, that is it. No video, online learning etc (not that I'm sure it would work for that age). They really rebel against doing any work for me and I can't blame them, I am not a teacher. Its a real worry about how they will catch up, we are trying our best, but we both work.

I am the same PC7, I can't criticise the teacher as it is JI, so there is not much else she can do really.It's the writing and reading, I am keeping her ticking over now, but there is no way what she is doing now would constitute a full day's work...enough to walk into a school next week and be "up to date" with say last weeks's work.And I can only imagine the workload increase as they go up the school.It isn't feasible tbh, what she is doing now is fine, but if she was to go back in Sept and they were to do a week on/week off, I simply could not keep her up to date in the week off to the extent needed.And the teacher couldn't manage full time teaching hours plus keeping the online up to date.It's too much.

mirrorwall14

shesty wrote: »

I am the same PC7, I can't criticise the teacher as it is JI, so there is not much else she can do really.It's the writing and reading, I am keeping her ticking over now, but there is no way what she is doing now would constitute a full day's work...enough to walk into a school next week and be "up to date" with say last weeks's work.And I can only imagine the workload increase as they go up the school.It isn't feasible tbh, what she is doing now is fine, but if she was to go back in Sept and they were to do a week on/week off, I simply could not keep her up to date in the week off to the extent needed.And the teacher couldn't manage full time teaching hours plus keeping the online up to date.It's too much.

To be honest I’m the complete opposite. We are getting dojo daily videos, a weekly plan and a daily plan (because parents wanted it both ways) and all the resources to go with it for my five year old. Creche are even sending materials for my 18 month old!!! I cant deal with it all on top of teaching myself to second level and minding both of them. I ended up emailing her at Easter and just saying I can’t

Junior infant here too, I’m getting him doing 1/2 pages of the maths book, 2 pages of pen control or letters books and as much freehand drawing and colouring I can because his pen control was weak (he finally chose a hand in January). I can’t deal with lesson plans etc. I’m just turning the page to the next one while distracting the 18 month old from annoying him while he works. Some days we get nothing done. Other days we get back to it two or three times (I do 10 mins max at a time)

shesty

That's the reality Mirrorwall it has only settled into an email a week for us since Easter.Before that, it was total OTT.Not the teacher herself, just the school.She sends a week's worth of work and says pick and chose what you can depending on your situation.We are both working and I have 2 younger kids, so once the JI is ticking over with a wee bit each day, it's the best we can do.Would it be enough to do on a weekly basis, though, come September, if they were week on/week off??No, not at all.

mirrorwall14

shesty wrote: »

That's the reality Mirrorwall it has only settled into an email a week for us since Easter.Before that, it was total OTT.Not the teacher herself, just the school.She sends a week's worth of work and says pick and chose what you can depending on your situation.We are both working and I have 2 younger kids, so once the JI is ticking over with a wee bit each day, it's the best we can do.Would it be enough to do on a weekly basis, though, come September, if they were week on/week off??No, not at all.

Yeah I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Because I’ve no idea how it would work. At least they’d be in semi regular contact so it could be demonstration week1 by week 2 practise at home.

pc7

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Yeah I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Because I’ve no idea how it would work. At least they’d be in semi regular contact so it could be demonstration week1 by week 2 practise at home.

i'll find that very hard working from home, I don't know how long employers good will will last on this if parents dont get a good outcome/solution for the kids.

shesty

The same and I don't think it's practical if you have 2 or 3 kids in school at different levels, potentially in or out on different weeks and trying to keep them all going at home in the interim.It isn't really workable.
September is a long way away yet though.

salmocab

shesty wrote: »

The same and I don't think it's practical if you have 2 or 3 kids in school at different levels, potentially in or out on different weeks and trying to keep them all going at home in the interim.It isn't really workable.
September is a long way away yet though.

Your right on the long way away, we will have information from other countries reopenings of schools and months of our data on the spread as well as others at that stage.

El Gato De Negocios

We had to complete a reopening questionnaire for our creche last week. Looks like they are aiming to reopen, at least partly, from late July. My wife and I are both working from home currently. My job would be a bit more flexible and my employer is looking at bringing people back to the office starting from late July but initially only at 25% capacity so no immediate pressure on us but I think for the kids (one just turned 3, the other is 22 months) will benefit greatly from a return to a normal routine. We are juggling currently depending on who needs to be available during the day, for example, I logged on at 6 yesterday morning for 3 hours, my wife was on conference calls most of the morning so I did 2 hours in the afternoon and 2 hours from half 7 last night. Not ideal but needs must. Its not fair on the kids or us trying to work full time and provide full time care.

Cabaal

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

The government cannot provide anything efficiently. It would end up costing twice as much if you put it under the DOE.

and the private sector can? It's all about profit for childcare providers, the staff certainly don't get good pay and conditions.

This mindset that a goverment cannot provide a service is the same mindset that has resulted in the USA turning into the clusterf**k it is when it comes to everything from schools, hospitals and librarys.

Sometimes its better for tax payer money to be spend to provide services to its citizens, without profit being the name of the game.

Cabaal

shesty wrote: »

Not the DOE.Definitely not.

Why the heck not?
Currently childcare staff are basically expected to have degree's but they get peanuts when it comes to pay, conditions in some creahes can be awful leading to a concerning level of staff turnover (never a good sign of ANY creche).

Bring it under DOE and pre-school can be more closely linked in with the school year then it is now, lets face it when we went to school first in baby infants we knew less starting then kids do now!

In addition to linking things better staff could actully get decent pay and conditions and parents could stop being screwed when it comes to fee's. At the end of the day people having children is something the country needs....somebody has to pay people's pension in a few years so the cost of child caring would be better covered by the tax payer now, its only fair and not much different to how everyone pays towards children's education.

shesty

For ECCE maybe.
For creches and childcare I would more inclined to think of Dept of Social Protection, or whatever it calls itself nowadays.
And yes, I know they have made their own messes,but that tends to be more their remit.

cherryghost

I got a phonecall from my creche this morning, they seem to be fully expecting a reopening end of June, not July. No staff or children covid cases reported to them since it all started.

Muscles Schultz

cherryghost wrote: »

I got a phonecall from my creche this morning, they seem to be fully expecting a reopening end of June, not July. No staff or children covid cases reported to them since it all started.

Wishful thinking

neris

cherryghost wrote: »

I got a phonecall from my creche this morning, they seem to be fully expecting a reopening end of June, not July. No staff or children covid cases reported to them since it all started.

Reopening end of June to essential workers children is the govt plan and then other children in July but theres no way they are just going to reopen up and let large groups of children in the doors. Its going to be staggered provision and maybe only a few hours or a a day a week so every one gets a go

shesty

Have heard the same of a friend's creche, she was notified of an end July date too.Our ECCE/afterschool texted today to say they expect an end August opening and they will update with any new information they might get.
Life must go on.

dubrov

neris wrote: »

Reopening end of June to essential workers children is the govt plan and then other children in July but theres no way they are just going to reopen up and let large groups of children in the doors. Its going to be staggered provision and maybe only a few hours or a a day a week so every one gets a go

I don't really see the difference in opening up at the end of June or September or even next year.

There should be plenty of data available from other countries who have already opened up at the end of June.

2Mad2BeMad

pc7 wrote: »

I am very concerned about some of the things I'm hearing, split school days (how will that work with creche), reduced numbers in creche, who decides what families lose their spot. We are currently are paying one of the staff members from our creche to mind our children in the house while we work. We couldn't keep going the way we were, so far so good, not sure what we will do when she goes back to work, but that is another days problem.

If my kids spot is gone when they open back up. Then me or my partner will have to leave our jobs. No point trying to find another creche because there all nearly full at the minute with several month long waiting lists so If kids lose spots well then it'd be pointless looking altogether.

And our situation is the same as many others.
Any stay at home mams or dad's (not including wfh parents) there kids spots should be the first to go. I know far to many mammys who send there kids to creche for free just so they can have the day to themselves.

Essential workers kids should be prioritised followed by ordinary workers and then the rest.
You pick the option that's less damaging to the economy at least then no one is forced to pick one child over another its all based on who actually needs the service most

splinter65

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

If my kids spot is gone when they open back up. Then me or my partner will have to leave our jobs. No point trying to find another creche because there all nearly full at the minute with several month long waiting lists so If kids lose spots well then it'd be pointless looking altogether.

And our situation is the same as many others.
Any stay at home mams or dad's (not including wfh parents) there kids spots should be the first to go. I know far to many mammys who send there kids to creche for free just so they can have the day to themselves.

Essential workers kids should be prioritised followed by ordinary workers and then the rest.
You pick the option that's less damaging to the economy at least then no one is forced to pick one child over another its all based on who actually needs the service most

Do you mind me asking you how you would know that a parent who doesn’t work outside the home sends their child/children to the crèche “just so they can have the day to themselves”?

pc7

Could also be job losses so people will take their kids out of creche, I know a few parents in ours currently considering it.

salmocab

splinter65 wrote: »

Do you mind me asking you how you would know that a parent who doesn’t work outside the home sends their child/children to the crèche “just so they can have the day to themselves”?

They say for free which presumably means ecce which means it’s only a few hours per day anyway

jrosen

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

If my kids spot is gone when they open back up. Then me or my partner will have to leave our jobs. No point trying to find another creche because there all nearly full at the minute with several month long waiting lists so If kids lose spots well then it'd be pointless looking altogether.

And our situation is the same as many others.
Any stay at home mams or dad's (not including wfh parents) there kids spots should be the first to go. I know far to many mammys who send there kids to creche for free just so they can have the day to themselves.

Essential workers kids should be prioritised followed by ordinary workers and then the rest.
You pick the option that's less damaging to the economy at least then no one is forced to pick one child over another its all based on who actually needs the service most

There is no such thing as "free creche" are you talking about the ECCE?

starbaby2003

jrosen wrote: »

There is no such thing as "free creche" are you talking about the ECCE?

Yes there is.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/pre_school_education_and_childcare/community_childcare_subvention_programme.html

Cakerbaker

starbaby2003 wrote: »

Yes there is.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/pre_school_education_and_childcare/community_childcare_subvention_programme.html

That’s childcare at reduced rates, not free. It’s also for people who are in training, education or low paid employment, not mammys who want to sit around and do nothing all day which is what was claimed a few posts back.

salmocab

Cakerbaker wrote: »

That’s childcare at reduced rates, not free. It’s also for people who are in training, education or low paid employment, not mammys who want to sit around and do nothing all day which is what was claimed a few posts back.

To be fair there is a free scheme in that link for homeless people doing something like education.

starbaby2003

salmocab wrote: »

To be fair there is a free scheme in that link for homeless people doing something like education.

And also refugees settling in to the country. Recently housed people etc.
My point was just that free places do exist. Not so someone can just dump a child go for coffee but they are there.

sphinxicus

cherryghost wrote: »

I got a phonecall from my creche this morning, they seem to be fully expecting a reopening end of June, not July. No staff or children covid cases reported to them since it all started.

We got an email today asking us to fill in a form outlining when/if we would like our child to return and on what date it would be (options from 29th June onwards). Also asking if we are essential workers (asking for occupation).

They also stated that funding was stopped in March (ECCE, NCS etc) therefore full fees must be paid foe July & August if you get a spot.

pc7

sphinxicus wrote: »

They also stated that funding was stopped in March (ECCE, NCS etc) therefore full fees must be paid foe July & August if you get a spot.

That is normal, I had to pay last summer, they only run 10 months.

Cakerbaker

pc7 wrote: »

That is normal, I had to pay last summer, they only run 10 months.

ECCE is 38 weeks but the others are full year as far as I know. And my crèche divides the ECCE amount over the full year so the cost stays the same for the 12 months. I had assumed that the different schemes would become operational once the Creche’s opened again. But I suppose seeing as the department haven’t even figured out how they’re going to reopen they probably haven’t gotten as far as thinking about reinstating the different schemes.