Garden designer Peter Dowdall on the best places to find unique pieces for your garden
Garden designer Peter Dowdall on the best places to find unique pieces for your garden

Megan Burns

Key trends and challenges shaping the job market in 2025
Key trends and challenges shaping the job market in 2025

Leonie Corcoran

Inside this five-bedroom Edwardian Terenure home
Inside this five-bedroom Edwardian Terenure home

IMAGE

In The Meadows 2025 review: A festival for the fans
In The Meadows 2025 review: A festival for the fans

Sarah Gill

Sole Steps: Join us for a run and a coffee in Phoenix Park
Sole Steps: Join us for a run and a coffee in Phoenix Park

Edaein OConnell

We’re taking notes on the rich, tactile details of this Belfast café for our own homes
We’re taking notes on the rich, tactile details of this Belfast café for our own...

Megan Burns

Cathy White talks honestly about taking to the road as a new mum, without her baby
Cathy White talks honestly about taking to the road as a new mum, without her...

Fiona Alston

‘Grief was like being knocked down by a speeding bus. It came out of nowhere and completely floored me’
‘Grief was like being knocked down by a speeding bus. It came out of nowhere...

Mary Ann Kenny

Daniel Rankin of Man Can Cook NZ shares his life in food
Daniel Rankin of Man Can Cook NZ shares his life in food

Sarah Gill

‘I don’t want to be empowered, I want to be resourced’
‘I don’t want to be empowered, I want to be resourced’

Dominique McMullan

Image / Editorial

Crèches are urged not to raise fees when they reopen


By Megan Burns
11th Jun 2020
Crèches are urged not to raise fees when they reopen

After the government announced a €75 million package for childcare providers yesterday, they have been urged not to hike fees for parents. 


As childcare providers are set to begin reopening from June 29, the government has urged them not to increase their fees to beyond pre-Covid-19 levels.

Katherine Zappone, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs yesterday announced a €75 million package for such providers, but stated that if they availed of this package, they must agree not to raise fees for parents, at least until the assistance ended in August.

The minister, who was speaking to RTÉ, explained that there were a number of initiatives childcare providers could apply for. These include a reopening grant, which gives providers with more than 100 children €10,000 to aid in getting their businesses running again, including staff training and purchasing hygiene products.

There is also a once off capital grant to cover things such as outdoor play equipment, and outdoor shelter and shade to allow the children they care for to spend more time outside, as there is less risk of coronavirus transmission in open spaces.

The government will also continue to cover a percentage of wages in the childcare sector under the revenue wage subsudy scheme, and from June 29 all previous schemes for the sector including universal subsidies and targeted subsidies for parents will recommence.

Although crèches have said that if they reopen, they will only be able to do so at 40 per cent capacity due to social distancing measures required, the minister said that with these funding supports the businesses should be able to run at a profit.

However, The Federation of Early Childhood Providers has disputed this, urging the government to provide more money. Its chair Elaine Dunne told RTÉ that these measures do not help all childcare providers.

“I run a full daycare service that can facilitate 55 children, but only 19 are coming back,” she explained. “In my service I would probably get about €2,000 each week just to sustain my business but my outgoings for that month are €10,000. People don’t want to put their children in for July and August. This is leaving me no choice, I am going to have to go to the parents of children and ask them to pay fees.”

The federation said it was afraid that hundreds of crèches would not be able to reopen without further funding.

Featured image: Jelleke Vanooteghem via Unsplash


Read more: One lesson I have learned over the last three months: nothing is more important than family

Read more: 6 of the best online summer camps for kids and teenagers

Read more: Dublin City Council will open all playgrounds today, in reversal of original Phase Two plans