Creche owners welcome plan for supports

Reaction to the Family Law Commission recommendations has been favourable among creche/Montessori school owners.

Ms Regina McGrath, who operates two Trinity Tots creches, in Baggot Street and Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin, said: "This is marvellous." Fees for creches had gone up, as had the childcare ratio, by as much as £20 to £25 a week, she said, "so with the help of God this will ease that."

She welcomed the recommendation that supports will apply also to lone parents, especially students, to whom it would make a great difference. And while the supports would help parents who already use creches, it would enable those who could not afford to use the service until now to do so. "It will be great, and is badly needed," she said.

Ms Sandra Hurley, of the Silverspoon creche on North Circular Road, Dublin, also welcomed the supports recom mended, as "childcare should be subsidised."

In her case the amount they charged parents was not enough to enable them to provide the range and standard of care they would like, and raising fees would simply mean some of their parents could no longer afford to use the creche. So "anything will help." She thought parents who wanted to work but felt they had to stay at home because of a child should not be in that position. It was also bad for the child, who often would be resented as a result, she said.

Mrs Gillian Reynolds, of the Treehouse Montessori school in Manor Kilbride, Co Wicklow, while welcoming the recommended reliefs/supports as "of value", was unsure about the tax relief elements in the recommendations. "They will just benefit the better-off, not young, unemployed people. Tax relief is of no benefit to them," she said.

She, too, said the new regulations meant fees had to go up and, although she is "all for standards", the effect had been that fewer parents can afford to send their children to creches/Montessori schools.

She regretted this, as nine out of 10 families cannot provide the advantages offered by such services, particularly the opportunity for the child to mix with other children. This, she felt, should be available to all parents.

Ms Lisa Tormey, of the Baggot Street Children's Centre, thought the recommendations "very good. They'll help an awful lot, especially those who cannot afford creches," she said.