I agree childcare is a huge issue for most families in Ireland. After a mortgage its probably the next highest household bill. As a childcare manager of a non-profit childcare centre and the one who puts together the budgets it’s not a cheap service to provide once basic overheads are paid wages, esb, council rates, insurance, food etc ther is very little if anything left over. There problem is the lack of support families/ childcare centres get from the government. At present the government invest .2% gdp on childcare compared to our European neighbours at 1%. The government are even cutting this direct cuts or pushing the bar so to make it more difficult for families to access the grants the need to support their families needs. The ECCE “free preschool” scheme is great as it offers universal free places to all, but it was introduced when they cut the early childhood supplement grant which cost the government €5000 per child- the free preschool scheme is costing aprox half that amount. If the government want to get serious on supporting families and children then need to invest heavily in childcare to make it cheaper and more accessible for parents. The importance of early years and afterschools in Ireland isn’t simply to get parents out to work, it’s to give the children the best possible start in life.

I agree, childcare was always my number one obstacle, infact when my hours got cut in work I ended up in negative wages. I ended up literally working just to pay the childminder. People who have their parents to help don’t know how lucky they are.

well done. great to see someone getting on with it. best of luck.

I am at the early stage of a career change and currently my monthly childcare costs are greater than my salary. Thankfully my partner works but if he lost his job, I would not be able to afford to work. Childcare costs should be capped and subsidised or substantial tax credits given to help working parents. Universal early years childcare is also shown to go some way to ensuring that children have achieved similar developmental milestones when starting primary education, saving on expensive interventions later. Affordable universal childcare is in everyone’s interests.

I just feel like rushing out and buying Aruna Sauces!

Well said Sarah.
As a mother who wants to be part of the workforce, the cost of childcare is my single biggest obstacle. With 2 small children I would need to be earning a significant amount just to pay to have them cared for. That’s before I have to cover my other costs of working such as transport etc.

we need legislation to allow flexibility for working mothers, Ireland has one of the lowest numbers of women it senior and director positions because the law is so rigid and employers don’t “legally” have to accommodate people with families. the uk has flexible working, we need to adapt a new framework.

You are absulately right Sarah and this should be at the top of the obstacles list! As I am seeing from the comments out here women can hardly afford a childcare salary, either they sit at home and take care of them by themselves. No change reflected in purse at the end of the day. So why bothered to work while you could spend more time with your loved ones, which makes perfect sense! I appreciate women a lot who choose to work at that stage with a lot of comprimize a couple of years until the kids can go to schol and then they can eventually focus on they work and business ideas. Something needs to be improved here to balance womens choises. Business needs us!

Expensive childcare not only makes difficult for parents to go back to work or starting their own businesses but it is also contributing to other problems, such as increasing elitism in creches, where parents may be forced to choose childcare centres depending on how much they charge and not on the quality of the education offered, contributing from the early years, to the inequality of opportunities for children.

The other problem that this raises is that in some cases, it might force parents to send their children to school before they are ready because parents simply can’t afford another year of childcare expenses.

We should all look at the Finnish education system, where all schools and childcare and totally subsidized by the estate and their aim is to provide the same level of education to all children, independent of their families’ economic situation.

What about working fathers?

Genuinely confused by those couples where both work and one salary just goes to pay the childminder: why not do it yourself for a few years (man or woman give up work, not being sexist here) and gradually return to work when kid is in school? As for the poster who said pre-school and childcare has a duty of stimulation and preparation for school and to prevent problems in society later – am I old fashioned in thinking that this is the primary duty of the parents who chose to have the child? Sure, in some cases where working is inevitable for survival, childcare should step in to fill the gap but why is it the norm to farm out responsibility for childcare? If you’re that mad about your career or income that you are choosing paid childcare over doing it yourself then perhaps you’re not ready for kids?

This is utterly naive: ‘ If more mothers took care of their would allow unemployed people into the work force, reducing the social welfare spend.’ That’s not what happens by a long shot. When a highly qualified irish woman stops working, it’s not some random unqualified person on the dole who gets the job. The work is more than likely contracted out to another country. This is what this woman would probably do if she gave up the job. She would hire a company somewhere else, somewhere cheaper, to make those sauces and run that business.

Then the job, and the accompaning taxes just leave the country. Leaving us all in a worse position.

Work begets work. When both partners work, they create employment, as they buy more services, and hire more people. Our unemployment is mainly building-industry collapse based. One bricklayer on the dole is not a replacement for a working woman with a 3rd level degree in biochemistry. They are not interchangable. You are in cuckoo-land if you think they are.

“When a highly qualified irish woman stops working, it’s not some random unqualified person on the dole who gets the job. The work is more than likely contracted out to another country.” If she is that qualified and specialised she should be earning enough to cover childcare costs. This would make a national scheme a moot point. This line of argument simply does not hold water.

“Work begets work. When both partners work, they create employment, as they buy more services, and hire more people.” Yes, work does beget work – and you are right. When both partners work they can buy more services – yes like childcare services and hire more people – like child carers.

“Our unemployment is mainly building-industry collapse based.” Fantastic news for all those law graduates, business graduates and other unemployed third level graduates. Building and construction has been hit hard but everyone is hurting, to say otherwise is, as you say, utterly naive.

You are effectively looking to get money for free. Unfortunately there is no such thing as “free” money – it will be taken from someones pocket at some stage.

Definitely agree, but in the short term do we really need to focus on spending money on growing the workforce when unemployment among the existing workforce us so high.

Shameless plug of your product

Well done Sarah great article

This reads like an essay written by a ten year old

First off hats off to anyone who decides to have a baby. It is an expensive choice and not one to be embarked upon lightly “Childcare is the main obstacle for women getting into business” is code for take more taxes from people who dont have kids to pay for those who have. in fairness its not immaculate conception. if you decide (yes girls and boys it is choice and an expensive one at that.) if you decide to have kids then why should everyone else pay for it.

This is an absolute disgrace to journalism and free speech – where have my comments gone???