Sir, - Today I received a letter from the leader of the playgroup to which I send my three-year-old daughter. informing us that, due to the forthcoming implementation of the new Childcare Act, our playgroup will close. I am shocked and disappointed. For weeks I have been trying to decide how to explain to my daughter that she will have no playgroup for the summer.
However my shock, upset and disappointment quickly turned to anger when I looked at some of the reasons why our playgroup, in which each child is valued and showered with love and affection, is closing. Is it because parents are not happy? On the contrary, the parents are unanimous in praising the work and dedication in our playgroup. Why then?
This is a small group of about to children in the playgroup leader's home. Under the new regulations she would have to employ at least one other person full-time, regardless of how many children she had. For the past 16 years I have taught in overcrowded primary classrooms funded by the Department of Education. In the current school year I have had 37 pupils in my class in spite of hearing our outgoing Minister for Education happily reassuring parents that no teacher in the country was teaching more than 36 children! Our playgroup now has to have two adults for even a few children.
Many of our schools have dilapidated, some even rat-infested toilets. We have approximately 10 toilets between 200 children, courtesy of the Department of Education. Our playgroup now has to have two children's and one adult toilet.
In my view, the implementation of the new Childcare Act will have catastrophic effects on pre-school facilities throughout the country. We sent our daughter to playgroup to learn to play and interact with her peers. This she has been doing, and loving every minute of it. We never once had to persuade her to go to playgroup. With the closure of playgroup we have no alternative for her. She will now have to stay at home for a year before she goes to school to try to restart the socialisation process.
Playgroups have for years provided an invaluable service for pre-school children at an affordable rate. Are we now to be driven into an elitist system in which only the wealthy and privileged can afford to pay for what limited. service is available, while those "lucky" enough to be classed as deprived get free pre-school education from the Department of Education and the thousands of children in between are thrown back to sitting at home watching TV?
I call on our incoming government to take a fresh look at how our pre- school children may best be cared for, rather than merely catered for. - Yours, etc.,
Portarlington,
Co Laois.