Exodus of staff putting early years and school age care system at risk in Mayo
An ‘exodus’ of staff is putting the Early Years and School Age Care system in Mayo at grave risk, according to Early Childhood Ireland, which today published three proposals aimed at ensuring Budget 2027 contains measures to retain staff in the sector.
With 111 members in Mayo, Frances Byrne, Director of Policy at Early Childhood Ireland, said: “The average staff turnover rate in Mayo is 21.8%. That means Early Years and School Age Care settings are losing a worrying number of their staff each year. “If primary or second-level schools were facing similar staffing challenges, there would be uproar and immediate intervention. This issue can no longer be ignored. To strengthen the sustainability of the system, the Government must prioritise improved pay and conditions for this workforce in the upcoming Budget – ensuring those providing care and education to our youngest citizens are treated fairly and with respect.”
Early Childhood Ireland is calling on Government to: Name a date to introduce pay parity for Early Years and School Age Care graduates; double the Graduate Premium in Core Funding; invest in three in-service days per year for every Early Years and School Age Care setting.
The latest available data from Pobal shows that, among staff captured in turnover figures in Mayo, 42.8% left the sector entirely with 37.7% qualified to degree level.
“The Government cannot afford to ignore the exodus of experienced, qualified staff in early years and school age care settings any longer,” continued Frances Byrne.
“Every child deserves the best start in life, but high levels of staff turnover in settings mean children are missing out on consistent relationships, stable routines and high-quality experiences. Issues in recruitment and retention in Mayo, and nationwide, are creating uncertainty that can lead to room closures and undermines plans for expansion, locally and nationally.
“Bringing Early Years and School Age Care graduates in line with public pay would help ensure every child is guaranteed a place in their community and stem the tide of qualified staff leaving for better-paid jobs in education and other sectors”
Early Childhood Ireland said that, alongside making Early Years services more affordable for parents, the Government must invest in the system to ensure its long-term viability.
“Much of the annual pre-Budget discussions revolve around reducing fees, which is understandably a big priority for parents,” said Ms. Byrne. “But this short-term way of thinking does not serve this generation or any future generation of children. Even if the Government spends the next decade reducing parents’ bills incrementally, this won’t do anything to improve wages for staff, many of whom are paid just €15 per hour.
“By prioritising this essential workforce, the Government has an opportunity to address the biggest issues in the system for employers, parents and critically, for children. We are urging the Government to increase the Graduate Premiums and to establish paid in-service days that would meaningfully contribute to the critical role played by Early Years and School Age Care staff. We also want the Government to name a date for the introduction of pay parity for graduates in our sector, ensuring their contribution to children’s care and education is valued in the same way that we value our primary and secondary school teachers.”