When Jenny Met Kristine

Chris, you know it ain’t easy…

atest press release from Jennifer Whitmore TD, issued on Thursday, June 23rd 2022…

Social Democrats TD for Wicklow, Jennifer Whitmore has said the government must provide clarity to the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) sector in Wicklow about the level of core funding they will receive in the autumn.

“Many ECCE-only providers in Wicklow are finishing up next week and are still none the wiser about the new core funding model that is supposed to be in place by September.

“As ECCE-only providers operate in tandem with the school year, they must have certainty in advance of the new school term in September. Remarkably, no details about how this core funding model will work have been issued by the Minister.

“This uncertainty extends to pay rates within the sector as operators do not know what level of pay they can offer their employees. A draft Employment Order for the sector has been issued but it is not yet finalised or signed into law. An Employment Order must be signed into law before contracts can be issued to providers. All of this will take time and clarity is needed now, before the summer recess.

“A key issue facing many ECCE-only providers in Wicklow is the fact that funding from the current Transition Fund, which took over from the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (SWSS) in April, is based on September 2021 costs for providers. However, inflation has increased by approximately 8% since then, which the current Transition Fund does not reflect.

“I met with Wicklow-based providers who were protesting outside Leinster House and shared their concerns. They reiterated the fact that during the government’s continued indecision, combined with soaring costs, it is threatening the viability of ECCE providers. The Minister for Children, Roderick O’Gorman, has delayed long enough. It is now time to provide some clarity.”

“I will continue to raise this issue with the Minister and urge for clarity in the coming summer months so that every opportunity is available to ECCE providers in Wicklow to maintain their service for the new year,” concludes Whitmore.