March for Change
Friday 1st July @ 2pm in Cork
Gathering at the Intreo Centre, Abbeycourt House, Georges Quay and marching to the Intreo Centre, Hanover Street
We are organising a March for Change in Cork City at 2pm on Friday 1st July from the Intreo Centre, Georges Quay to the Intreo Centre, Hanover Street.
The purpose of this march is to highlight the importance of early childhood education and care and the vital role played by early childhood professionals in supporting the children and families at this foundation stage of development.
This is an essential service that parents cannot afford to pay more for and that early childhood professionals, both employers and employees, cannot afford to continue subsidising (by virtue of their low wages and unsustainable services) so we are demanding that the government steps in and recognises and accepts their responsibility to provide sufficient funding to adequately resource all areas of high quality provision. Earning a professional wage and desiring to support a child's development should not be mutually exclusive but can only be achieved through state funding. Our profession is undervalued and under-resourced for the role that it plays in supporting the youngest citizens of this state.
Approximately 4,000 of our profession will have to ‘sign on’ this summer because they will be laid off or will be on reduced hours. This is not even an option for our self-employed colleagues. Many services are unsustainable.
Early Childhood Professionals demand that our government provides both increased investment and a cohesive early childhood education and care strategy, so that the children of Ireland can receive the best possible foundation in life. There is a long history of underinvestment in the early childhood sector that shows a complete disregard for the rights of the child and of the professionals working with them and it has to stop now!
Please support our campaign for increased investment in early childhood education and care by engaging in any, or all, of the following actions:
- Wear red and join us on our march,
- Share our message on social media
- Contact your elected representatives and ask them to support this march