This year’s summer has certainly been peculiar. Every day brings all four seasons and now, with the arrival of September, one can’t help but wonder if summer is truly over. My son’s first birthday is next week, and I still find myself in a transitional phase despite having returned to work several months ago. The crux of my predicament, shared with many parents in Ireland, is our unreliable childcare. Surprisingly, I find myself seeking assistance from my mother again.
Although the cost of childcare has decreased, it continues to drain the budget of families who use these services unless they earn a substantial income. A notable side effect of this reduction in costs is that a considerable number of daycare centres are either contemplating withdrawing or have already withdrawn from a state scheme that gives financial aid in exchange for not hiking up the fees parents are charged. This leaves affected families with the tough decision of either absorbing a staggering increase in fees of up to 40%, or pulling their child out from the creche. However, removing a child from a familiar care setting and playmates can be a daunting task, as any parent will tell you. Furthermore, finding alternative childcare facilities to enrol them in is usually not an option.
As a result, many families are forced to consider how to tackle the substantial leap in childcare costs or manage the situation domestically. I might be calling for help in my next correspondence with the department.
Another issue that exacerbates this challenge is the inflexible parental leave policies. Enhancements in this area can provide some relief for families grappling with the dual problem of escalating childcare costs and limited facilities.
Despite having returned to work months ago, I’m still unable to secure a full-time childcare place for my son.
Simon Harris once posed a question, “Should early childhood be included in the education system in a more formal manner?”
Peter Hanly, one of Ireland’s most prominent actors, mysteriously disappeared.
In other news, here are some ideas to prevent your current account from plunging into the red before your salary comes in.
Two primary forms of leave are available in Ireland to cater to childcare needs post the statutory maternity or adoption breaks, these are cleverly termed parental leave and parent’s leave. Parental leave is required to be taken in one continuous span, or in segments of a minimum of six weeks each. This type of leave is unpaid and hence, mostly suitable for those who can sustain themselves without a salary for a significant duration.
The alternative is parent’s leave, allowing parents nine weeks within the first two years of their offspring’s life. This period can be taken either in a single nine-week stretch or in separate intervals of at least a week. Payment possibilities exist with this leave option – those who have made enough PRSI contributions receive €274 per week. Despite these policies, they don’t meet the demands of the current crisis. Neither leave type helps those needing a day or two off per week over an extended period, whether to make childcare more economical by part-time arrangement, or to bridge the gap in childcare (considering the scarcity of full-time options for infants under one year of age).
For instance, as a common scenario, I cannot secure five-day childcare for my 11-month-old until November (he has been on waiting lists since his blastocyst stage). Currently, we have three creche days and we are devising a feasible plan for the remaining two days. Most of our holidays have been whittled down covering the summer. Neither form of leave assists, since the specifications necessitate taking a whole week to acquire one or two days. This isn’t the ideal situation for most mothers wanting to resume projects after a nine-month home stint. Welcome back to the job market – sure you can stick around?
A thriving society views easy-to-access, quality childcare as crucial public infrastructure, equivalent to transport, healthcare, and energy. Although we’ve followed the guidelines (the advice from Citizens Advice on “selecting” childcare now seems absurd), we’re still struggling. I was keen to sidestep asking the retired grandparents for aid, but it’s that or risk juggling my paid job with child-minding. The latter could work only because my job offers the flexibility to work from home. I must say, I find the prospect of releasing a baby and toddler onto philosophy seminars rather amusing.
I count myself fortunate. I have a youthful, active mother who excels with youngsters; she’s more than willing to momentarily fill this childcare void. How often do individuals, organising makeshift childcare with relatives, neighbours, or unofficial paid professionals, place their children in situations where they’re uncertain of the care’s quality?
The consistent rush to arrange proper childcare is exhausting, particularly amidst these tumultuous times. Being assured that your children are under reliable and steady supervision is crucial while one attempts to return to a work environment outside the house. This phase can be deeply challenging, especially when the worth we attach to our professional and social roles might be at its nadir. Cognizant of the fact that these young children are beginning their exciting immunity journeys – exposing themselves to fascinating new groups of germs – their presence at work can be inconsistent at best. The functional disarray ensuing from everything can make the return to work feel more of a struggle than a return.
Effective and easily reachable childcare is a vital part of communal structure, as critical to the society and economy as transportation, health services, and energy. It’s heartening that some individuals in the Government are treating this matter with the gravity it deserves. Allocations towards childcare have seen a significant rise, although it’s clear that enhancing one component leads to issues in another. Thus, a more drastic solution may be required.
The text provided was written by Dr Clare Moriarty, an Irish Research Council postdoctoral fellow at Trinity College Dublin.