Start Strong E-newsletter September 2014

With Budget 2015 around the corner, there are many calls for the Government to give financial support to parents trying to return to work, to make work pay and help with childcare costs.

The cost of childcare is a big issue, but care is needed in how we address it. We need to invest in services to raise quality standards at the same time. And for the very youngest children - those under 1 - the right policy solution is longer paid leave for parents.

These issues are a focus of this newsletter. We summarise our Pre-Budget Submission, which links to our Double Dividend policy brief. And we report on the seminar on family leave, Families and Work: A Chance for Change.

We also include updates on the Department of Education's early years plans, the latest annual survey from Pobal, and new reports from the UK on the EPPE study and on how to achieve affordability and high quality in a market-based childcare system.

With best wishes,

The team at Start Strong

Budget 2015

If the Government is to plan for a secure, long-term recovery, investment in quality early care and education must rise. Our Pre-Budget Submission calls for public funding of services to be conditional on quality, for more investment in the early years workforce, and for a national audit of the quality of services.

Our Pre-Budget Submission also focuses on the cost of early care and education, which is a large burden on many families, especially families with low incomes. For Budget 2015 we propose a series of measures to help public funding achieve a "double dividend": making services more affordable while at the same time raising quality.

Read more

Families and Work: A Chance for Change

Balancing work and family life is an on-going struggle, especially for the many families who cannot afford to take unpaid leave.

On 25 September, Start Strong, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the National Women's Council of Ireland joined forces to host a seminar on maternity, parental and paternity leave. The keynote speaker was Professor Peter Moss. Discussion focused on the Family Leave Bill, which the Government has said will be published in the coming months.

Department of Education plans

Since her appointment as Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O'Sullivan TD has made a number of announcements that indicate she wants her Department to be more proactive on early years services.

Announcements include a review of training programmes, establishment of an advisory group, and recruitment of early education-focused inspectors.

Read more

Pobal annual survey

Pobal recently published the 2013 findings of its Annual Survey of the Early Years Sector, the third year the survey has gone to all services.

The report contains up-to-date figures on types of early care and education service in Ireland, the profile of children and families accessing services, childcare fees, staff qualifications, and supports for quality.

Linking funding and quality - report from England

An important new report from the Resolution Foundation in the UK uses the international evidence to make recommendations on how to improve the affordability of childcare at the same time as its quality, in a market system.

Their key recommendation is that public funding should come with "strings attached", especially in terms of staff qualifications.

New findings from EPPE study in UK

The EPPE study is one of the most prominent studies worldwide on the impact of pre-school on children's outcomes. In the latest findings, with the children aged 16, we see continued long-term benefits of pre-school experience, especially when high quality.

Using exam results, for the first time the EPPE study estimates the economic benefits of pre-school on a child's future earnings over their lifetime. The economic benefits are substantial.

Political Update

In each issue of the newsletter, "Political update" provides links to some of the most relevant political developments since the previous issue.

The section includes links to debates and key questions raised in the Oireachtas, as well as policy documents and press releases issued by Government Ministers and political parties.