Start Strong

Special edition e-newsletter, July 2014


How can we achieve childcare that's affordable and high quality
Dear colleague, 

   

Welcome to this special edition of our newsletter. This week we published our submission to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on its review of funding schemes for early care and education. We're delighted to share it with you. Our new policy brief - "The Double Dividend: Childcare that's Affordable and High Quality" - offers a summary. If you're short on time, we also have a short leaflet highlighting the key points.   

 

In this issue, we also take a closer look at new figures released from the OECD comparing the cost of "childcare" across member countries. And we look at the recent EU recommendation to the Irish Government that it improve access to more affordable "childcare".

 

You can also now comment at the end of each article, so please feel free to share your thoughts.  

 

Hope you're all enjoying the summer!    

 

With best wishes,

The team at Start Strong

Start Strong submission on funding schemes

The Double Dividend Policy Brief Start Strong has published a new policy brief "The Double Dividend: Childcare that's Affordable and High Quality".

The brief is a summary of our submission to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on its review of funding schemes for early care and education. In it, we set out policy proposals on how Government can achieve a "double dividend" of childcare that's affordable and high quality.

Read more
New OECD data on affordability
OECD logo  

In April this year the OECD released updated figures that compare the cost of "childcare" across OECD countries. They show that the costs that parents pay for early care and education services in Ireland are still among the highest in all developed countries.

 

Read more 
Affordability and quality both on EU agenda

 

The European Commission recently published recommendations for the Irish Government on economic growth and jobs. The so-called "Country Specific Recommendations" include a recommendation that the Irish Government should improve access to more affordable "childcare".  

 

The Commission found that the extremely high cost of childcare in Ireland is a "significant barrier to parents finding employment and avoiding the risk of poverty".

 

 
Read more   
 

Start Strong
Advancing children's early care and education in Ireland

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Short version of how we can achieve the Double Dividend of childcare that's affordable and high quality
Double Dividend 
Read our short leaflet highlighting the key points of Start Strong's new policy brief, The Double Dividend: Childcare that's affordable and high quality.
Read it now 
Cover - economics report
The Economics of Children's Early Years
Start Strong's report presents the compelling economic case for Government investment in early care and education.  Read it now
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