Irish childcare facilities facing closures due to a lack of staff

“Extremely difficult to recruit staff in the past 12 months.”

Irish childcare managers have expressed their concerns about staff shortages.

It is believed over a third of managers in the industry are worried about the impact this could have on their facilities.

Over 60% of childcare services believe they may need to reduce capacity due to staffing issues.

They believe one of the main reasons for these staff shortages is the low pay staff receive. Many are leaving the sector for better-paid jobs.

It is believed they earn less than the living age in Ireland.

Speaking about the survey, conducted by New Deal for Early Years coalition, CEO of the National Childhood Network, Denise McCormilla said:

“The majority of these indicated that poor pay in the sector was the ‘biggest obstacle’ they faced when recruiting staff.”

“Of the managers who responded to the survey, more than 70% found it ‘extremely difficult’ to recruit staff in the past 12 months.”

In a recent report by HerFamily’s Laura Cunningham, creche manager Claire Keane said:

“We have advertised for months now and just aren’t getting people applying. Staff aren’t just moving facility, they are leaving the sector. I’m a manager but come next week I will have to go and do both roles; manage and also work in a room with the children every afternoon. I have a masters in this area and I would get better pay in a retail job.

“There’s nothing wrong with working in retail, but it doesn’t require the level of qualification that I have, or the responsibility. Ages zero to three years are the foundations for a child’s life, but childcare is underinvested by our government.

“When we compare our conditions to teachers, we are miles behind.”

Read the full report- The Parent Trap: What’s being done about the Irish childcare crisis? here.