SIPTU Big Start Campaign Early Years Professionals Survey 2020/2021
In February 2020, 30,000 Early Years professionals and parents marched through the streets of Dublin to demand radical change in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services. They called for decent pay, affordability, recognition and quality of care for children. It was a moment of hope, courage and unity. Then Covid-19 hit. Just weeks later, the 30,000 staff in 4,500 ECEC services were locked down. The closure of this vital public service resulted in thousands of parents struggling to balance the demands of work and family life and left Early Years professionals uncertain about their future. The response of the State was innovative.
To retain the workforce within the sector it assumed responsibility for funding the wages of workers. The policy worked. It also offered a vision of how ECEC could be radically transformed to reduce fees, improve pay and support quality. What was impossible months earlier was now a reality. SIPTU, the National Women’s Council, the Children’s Rights Alliance and Early Childhood Ireland were among many voices calling on the Government to use this ‘wage subsidy scheme’ as the basis for a new funding model. However, the immediate issue of poor pay and conditions continues to keep workers in poverty and undermine the professionalisation of the sector.
Over 2,000 professionals took part in this survey and the results are stark; Just 22% of Early Years Educators earn more than the Living Wage of €12.30 per hour and 90% of all professionals struggle to make ends meet with difficulty or great difficulty. The pandemic has compounded this situation. Only 11% feel valued as front-line workers by the Government and 74% find work during Covid-19 stressful or very stressful.
These conditions have consequences; 38% of all professionals are actively looking for a job in a different profession. This rises to 44% for Room Leaders where most graduates are employed. Poor pay was by far the biggest issue driving people out of their profession: 80% of respondents cited it as their top concern. Hundreds of millions of euros are spent each year by the State to improve quality and drive professionalisation, including the education of graduates and continuous professional development.
However, until pay and conditions are addressed the State is simply trying to fill a bucket with many holes. The protest in February 2020, did have an impact. This year will see publication of proposals for new funding model and the Workforce Development Plan. Pay scales could also be agreed under a Joint Labour Committee. Taken together, these three initiatives can address the serious problems within ECEC, ensure that increased government funding is effectively spent and offer a path to professional pay.
