Paula Donohoe at her Clever Clogs crèche in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan Photo: Lorraine Teevan

Crèche owners have been warned their State funding will be docked if they participate in a national protest over the "worsening childcare crisis" ahead of next week's election.

The Department of Children has issued a circular to childcare providers outlining the implications if they take part in the rally next Wednesday.

It says normal pre-school and other childcare scheme payments will be pulled for a day if they partially or fully shut down services.

Crucially, it says it will not fund them to open on an alternative day to make up the lost time.

Parents are facing the threat of widespread chaos as up to 1,300 providers are expected to take part in the rally during working hours.

It is being organised by the Early Years Alliance to demand a "sustainable solution to the worsening childcare crisis".

The alliance includes providers' representative organisations, parents and staff who are members of Siptu.

Crèche owners are set to lose out on hundreds of euro in State funding if they take part in the rally.

For example, owners are paid €13.80 per child per day under the standard rate of the ECCE scheme. The average ECCE class has up to 22 children, meaning owners could lose out on €303.60 per class.

However, owners may also have to reimburse fees paid by parents for the loss of a day's care, which could prove even more costly.

Childcare providers spoke of their shock at the department's directive and said it would "punish children" rather than them, as the department would not fund care on an alternative day.

Paula Donohoe (55), who runs Clever Clogs Childcare in Ballyconnell in Cavan, said providers had always been able to change their calendars and offer alternative dates.

"I'm praying that other childcare operators will not kowtow to this directive," she said.

"For the first time ever, there is such a strength and anger in the service and I hope the rally will still go on, on this basis."

In its message on Tuesday of this week, the department said it understood some providers intend to close or reduce their service provision, "to support a protest on February 5".

It said it had received a number of queries from providers and parents relating to this.

"The department has received legal advice that if services close for the protest day, or if they do not provide a service to a particular group of children and their parents, the department will not be in a position to provide funding for that day," it said.

It said this was in accordance with existing contracts and protests of this kind were not covered by entitlements like force-majeure leave.

"The department is not in a position to fund an alternative day where services propose to make up the time lost from the protest on another occasion."

It instructs them to submit revised calendars in advance of any closures, and afterwards "so that payments can be adjusted accordingly".

Siptu head of organising Darragh O'Connor said even more services and educators had signed up to attend the protest since the announcement.

"It is not uncommon for services to swap days and keep their funding," he said.

"It has never been an issue before. The question is why is it now forbidden, just days before a national protest?"

He said the union had written to the department seeking clarification on the issue.

In a statement, the department said providers were required to specify their calendars at the start of the year so parents could plan their leave.

Irish Independent