Many parents in Co. Tipperary will be without childcare this morning due to closures of childhood providers as a form of protest.
The Federation of Early Childhood Providers who are organising the protest saying it’s their last resort to an ongoing dispute with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) over the inadequate level of funding for the ECCE scheme.
The organisation says the department is dealing with some serious deficiencies in their approach to the sector that impact all service types, this includes the lack of recognition of administrative overload to access their schemes.
This will be the fourth protest the FECP have supported, but it’s the first time services will close.
The FECP says they’ve engaged with TD’s to highlight concerns for the future of Early Year Services. However, to date, no progressive dialogue to further our “partnership” has taken place.
The Minister for Children says the closure of Early Childcare Providers today is unwarranted and disappointing.
Minster Rod
