Kitty Holland’s well penned article in this mornings Irish Times says that Childcare closures lay Ireland’s insidious sexism bare

Broadside: As five centres closed in Clare, the official response was a shrug of the shoulders

A company went into liquidation in the past fortnight, resulting in the loss of more than 50 jobs and meaning that many of the 400 or so people reliant on it could not themselves get to work. There has been some coverage of this crisis but little reaction from political leaders. Not a peep from Government, other than a few words from the Tánaiste when she happened to be canvassing in the neighbourhood.

The jobs were at five childcare centres in west Co Clare. Although reports have referred to the “up to 400 families” left suddenly without childcare in Kilrush, Kilkee, Lissycasey, Kilmihil and Kildysart, interviews with those affected have all been with women.

The company that ran the centres, the West Clare Early Years Care and Education Services, provided mainly State-funded and subsidised childcare. As well as the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme (the free preschool all children are entitled to), the centres provided the Community Childcare Subvention (highly subsidised childcare for disadvantaged families) and the Community Training and Employment programmes (subsidised childcare to parents participating in “eligible” training or back-to-work schemes).

The company, which opened in 2000, went into sudden liquidation following a board meeting on February 13th. The decision was relayed to its workforce by text. Its main funders, the Department of Children and Pobal, were both unaware that the rug was about to be pulled.

Read the full article in The Irish Times