Sinn Féin spokesperson on Children, Disability, and Equality, Claire Kerrane TD, has called on government to take urgent action to address the deepening staffing crisis in the early years sector.

Deputy Kerrane was responding to data she received, which shows alarmingly high staff turnover rates, with almost one in three staff (31.4%) leaving private full day childcare services annually.

The data includes a breakdown by county, with some seeing staff turnover rates of over 50%.

Teachta Kerrane said:

“For too long, the voices and needs of early years sector workers have been disregarded by the government.

“We are now at a point where they are done asking and are instead walking away from jobs they love and have trained hard for.

“When these valued professionals leave, it is children and their parents who pay the price – losing out on the consistency of a key person who builds relationships and attachments at this crucial time.

“The loss also impacts providers who, in many instances, have the physical space to accommodate more children, but instead must close rooms because they do not have the Early Years Educators.

“At a time when there are thousands of children on waiting lists for childcare places this is simply unacceptable.

“The asks from the Early Years Sector are clear.

“A recent SIPTU survey found that low pay is the biggest work issue for 86% of early years educators, followed by pressure due to staff shortages (68%) and stress and burnout (65%).

“If the government is serious about addressing this crisis, then they must address the issue of recruitment and retention.

“The last pay increase for Early Years Educators amounted to 65 cents. It took 14 months to negotiate and ended up in the Labour Court because agreement could not be reached.

“This is an insult to Early Years Educators and does not reflect the vital role they have in our society and economy.

“We need a real plan to address this crisis – a plan to restore dignity and respect to Early Years Educators, without which the Sector will continue to lose them. That means the €15 per hour minimum pay must be delivered.

“The commitment in the Programme for Government on core funding must progress immediately. We need a thorough examination of the investment being made and how it is being reflected in pay deals achieved via the Joint Labour Committee.

“After all the recent talk from government on childcare, now is the time to act.”

The response to Deputy Kerrane’s Parliamentary Question can be read here.