Despite many parents working, care for school-age children has only recently started to expand, writes Sheila Wayman
A FORMAL QUALIFICATION aimed at raising the standard of school-age care in the Republic will be launched at a major conference in Co Kildare next month. Until recently, childcare initiatives have mostly focused on creches and childminders for babies and toddlers.
Relatively little attention has been paid to out-of-hours care for schoolchildren of working parents. Unlike preschool care, there are no specific regulations for group care of children over six, other than standard health and safety ones.
After-school care is a newly emerging area to which Ireland has come quite late, says the training co-ordinator with Barnardos, Imelda Graham.
"There has been some progress since the Government got behind it. It has grown around the country, but there does seem to be a dearth of it in rural areas," she says.
"There is a mix of people providing it. Some are moving from early years childcare and extending into school age. There has been encouragement for teachers to provide it in schools, but that does not seem to be happening much."
Next month's conference in Maynooth, Developing Quality in School Age Childcare in Ireland, will hear what is being done abroad. It will look at how to consult children about what they want during that time between school and home, and also how to involve more men.
School-age children should be provided with "a high-quality service that caters for their needs. It is not just about buying in bigger chairs and older toys", says Graham. "There must be people who understand the challenges and pressures they are under. There should be a mix of the structured and unstructured, time to be with themselves," she says.
It is a home from home, but also a place where they go to be independent and with their friends. "It is important that these children feel they are not being 'minded' any more."
Barnardos collaborated with a range of different organisations involved in childcare to develop training for the new qualification, and also to organise the conference on October 15th.
"We wanted to short-circuit what happened in early-stage childcare where it took a long time for qualifications to come in," says Graham. She singles out the Nordic countries as leading the way, where well-trained staff run beautifully equipped, dedicated after-school centres for children up to the age of 16.
A new trend in the US is to provide after-school care up to the age of 17. The Harvard Family Research Centre linked a spike in hospital admissions of youngsters and juvenile criminal offences in the afternoon, to teenagers being home alone.
Only 21.5 per cent of families in the Republic used non-parental childcare for primary school-going children on a regular basis in 2005, according to the latest figures available from the Central Statistics Office, which did a Quarterly National Household Survey on childcare.
The parents may have had no choice. That same year, a report on school-age childcare, published by the National Childcare Co-ordinating Committee, found "the majority of parents in Ireland have limited options from which to meet the childcare needs of their school-going children outside of school hours".
There has been a drive since then, through the Republic's 33 city and county childcare committees, to increase the availability of after-school care. More than €17 million in funding was approved for services providing school-age childcare by the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. Applicants had to offer children a range of recreational facilities, both restful and active.
However, the results so far seem patchy. In Wexford, for instance, the lack of choice of after-school care is an issue, says the chief executive of Wexford County Childcare Committee, Joy O'Driscoll.
Only 25 per cent of the county's providers do after-school care and she knows of only one dedicated after-school centre in the county. She suggests that this is probably because it is more economically viable to offer a range of services rather than one that, by definition, will be part-time. O'Driscoll says that after-school programmes can work at a centre which also offers preschool care, as long as there is a dedicated, age-appropriate room for the older children - not one with mini-chairs and mini-toilets.
In Galway there is no shortage of after-school care, according to Fionnuala Foley, development officer with Galway City and County Childcare Committee. She says the committee has been very successful in working with schools to provide such a service, which is attractive to parents.
About 10 schools in Galway city provide after-school care and altogether there are 36 dedicated after-school services in the city and county, she adds.
Under the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010, the Government has promised that 10 per cent (5,000) of the new 50,000 childcare places to be provided will be for children of school-going age outside of usual school times.
This target is already being exceeded, says a departmental spokesperson. "Based on the funding approved to date, almost 31,000 new places will be created, of which almost 20 per cent (over 6,100) are school-age childcare places."
Meanwhile, childminders continue to be the most common form of paid care for primary schoolchildren. Fionnuala Curry of Childminding Ireland, which has 1,000 registered members and is always looking for more, says it gets calls all the time from parents who had used creches for their pre-school children, and then want care in a home environment once a child starts school. "They want the one-on-one attention for their child and what they perceive as a home away from home," says Curry. "They don't want something that is like a school setting."
For more information on the Developing Quality in School Age Childcare in Ireland conference, tel 01-453 0355 or e-mail training@barnardos.ie
Helping to fill a huge gap in the after-school care system
DARA Ó NUALLAIN was initially planning to "wing it with my mum" on after-school care when her daughter Ava started at Carysfort National School in Blackrock, Dublin.
But when five-year-old Ava caught sight of the colourful, balloon-laden mini-bus that transports children to The Park Academy's Thornwood After School Club in Booterstown, that was where she wanted to go.
Opened last January, the purpose-built after-school centre currently does pick-ups from eight schools in the area, and cares for 28 children aged five to nine. Mary McGibney, director of The Park Academy Childcare Group, says she realised from parents' feedback that after-school care is a huge gap that has not been catered for.
"We decided that we were going to do it well and provide something totally different. Something very stimulating but in a relaxed atmosphere."
The club offers indoor and outdoor activities, an artroom, quiet room, time for homework, science projects, as well as a communal, nutritious dinner which the children help prepare - exactly the sort of thing you think you should do with your children at home, if only you had the time and energy.
Underpinning it is the High/Scope approach, which promotes active learning and a "plan-do-review" philosophy. It encourages children to choose their own activities and then reflect on the day with their peers.
It comes at a price, of course: €800 a month, including the school holidays when the club takes the children from 8.30am to 6.30pm. But Ó Nuallain, who works part-time in the Havana boutique in Donnybrook, can't praise it enough.
The staff really understand the children, she says. "Ava has got so confident. She used to be a fussy eater and now she loves sitting down eating with the other kids." She goes to the club three days a week, "absolutely adores it" and wants to go five days a week.
Ó Nuallain, who admits she is "quite neurotic" about Ava and her two-year-old sister Freya, adds: "Now I know I don't need to worry. I am able to walk away with peace of mind, which is a huge burden off my shoulders."
Children from all walks of life go to after-school clubs in Co Meath, which were among the first clubs in the country. It started with one in Trim more than 10 years ago to meet social needs, says the chairwoman of Meath County Childcare Committee, Marie Daly, and has evolved to suit working parents. A second centre was opened at Ballivor National School and another in Simonstown. Fees are linked to ability to pay.
The routine would be similar in each. They are open from 7am to offer breakfast and then transport to school. As children come in after school, "they get their dinner, no chips, something nutritious", says Daly. They are allotted 45 minutes to do homework.
Then children can choose from a range of activities, including arts and crafts, music and outdoor games. Each centre has a sittingroom with television for wind-down time as the youngsters filter home after a mid-evening snack, before the centre closes at 6.30 pm.
The challenge in catering for older children is "adapting our ways to their ways", says Daly. "Instead of us deciding what they should do, we ask them."
It is also important that staff understand the children and there is a huge need for training in this area, she says.
One thing they won't do is ferry the children to piano or dancing lessons. "We have been asked. We don't want to take over the role of the parent."
After-school care: the pros, the cons, the costs and the actual options available
AFTER-SCHOOL CLUBS
FOR:Your child will enjoy being with friends. A good after-school programme not only gives children the chance to chill out, but also offers them the chance to take part in many different creative and sporting activities.
They learn to plan and co-operate with other children. They will also be encouraged to get at least their written homework done. A hot, nutritious meal is usually provided. Most centres will take children for the full day during school holidays.
AGAINST:It's not home. They can bring their own clothes to change into, but they will not be surrounded by their own "stuff". The social side can be a strain for a tired child. You can only use a centre that is in, or does a pick-up from, your child's school, otherwise how are you going to organise transport? Most centres close no later than 6.30pm which can leave parents under severe pressure to collect on time.
COST:From €25 a week in community centres, while private centres range from €120 to €200 a week.
CHILDMINDER
FOR:A childminder can provide a home-from-home environment after school and there will probably be other children to play with. They may be more flexible than a centre on pick-up times.
AGAINST:You are dependent on one individual to care for your child, so you need to get the right one. It may be a home, but it's not "home''. Outdoor activities may be limited.
COST:The average is €6 a hour, according to Childminding Ireland; rates depend on individuals and area.
NANNY
FOR:You are getting a qualified professional to look after your child in your own home. It is a very flexible form of childcare that works around the needs of both children and parents.
AGAINST:It is an expensive kind of childcare and difficult to find on a part-time basis. Again you are dependent on one individual.
COST:From €10 to €15 an hour, depending on qualifications and experience.
AU PAIR
FOR:Your child is able to go home after school. It is the kind of care that can work around after-school activities and she/he can be asked to do light housework as well. Best-case scenario: you have an energetic, helpful and likeable young adult in the house who is like another a member of the family.
AGAINST:Au pairs are young and usually have no training in childcare. Language and cultural differences can make communication difficult.
Even if you have a room to spare, not every family wants a stranger living in the house. Worst-case scenario: you have a homesick adolescent on your hands, providing a whole new set of problems.
COST:You need to provide accommodation, all food and about €100 a week in pocket money in return for up to 30 hours work a week, and a couple of nights babysitting.
RELATIVE
FOR:You and your child know and trust the person, be it a grandparent, cousin, aunt or uncle, and the care will be either in your own home or in a familiar home. A close relative is likely to have similar parenting values.
AGAINST:You are probably taking advantage of the relative's goodwill, which they may come to resent. It is difficult to give instructions about the way you want things done. If elderly, are they able to cope with a demanding child for hours on end?
COST:Often free or at least relatively low
DO IT YOURSELF
FOR:The majority of parents do just that, often juggling work hours so one of them is home in the afternoon. There's no substitute for spending time with your own children.
AGAINST:It may be tough financially if one parent gives up a job and the "time out" will damage career prospects. If one parent goes part-time, then there is still the big issue of school holidays to deal with.
COST:Priceless.