INDEPENDENT councillor Ursula Gavan called for a public system of early childhood education and childcare to attract and retain vital early educators.
Speaking at September’s Metropolitan District meeting, Cllr Gavan said that parents and crèche providers are struggling with long waiting lists and rising costs.
The City East representative wants to see a public model of childcare in line with our counterparts in Europe.
“Childcare is not a luxury but a vital public service. Families already struggling with high mortgages are also faced with some of the highest childcare costs in Europe,” Gavan claimed.
“If we raise spending to €1.6billion by 2030, it is still only one per cent of GDP and short of our European counterparts.”
She told the Council chamber that research has affirmed that early education and childcare is an essential service and should be treated as such.
“It further aides working families return to work especially women, economic growth, and child development,” the said.
“Furthermore, we need an audit of crèche facilities within the city and county environs, coupled with CSO figures so we can future proof the system. Birth rates are decreasing locally, however, the current waiting lists do not reflect this.”
Cllr Gavan called on the government in the upcoming budget to honour election promises and commit to a public childcare model backed by significant investment and planning.
Independent councillor Maria Donoghue seconded the motion, saying: “Going back to my own years of having to provide childcare for my own children, it was crippling. It was like a second mortgage for each child.”
Fine Gael councillor Peter Doyle also showed his support, deeming the present system as “failed”.
“I know from my own experience in the greater Castletroy area that we’ve seen a massive increase in the number of houses but no increase in the number of crèches,” he said.
“We end up in a ridiculous situation where planning is given for new houses and a crèche, and there’s nobody there to run the crèches. It’s a failed system. The private sector isn’t going to run the crèches. We need the State to run the crèches, particularly in large urban areas.”
