A new survey by SIPTU has revealed shocking realities for Early Years Educators where low wages are leading to stress and burnout which is leading to an unsustainable turnover of staff in a manner which is undermining the whole system.
On 4th July, Early Years Educators took their plight to the corridors of power and told politicians that low pay is driving the staffing crisis in the sector and stressed the need to invest properly in the professionals who provide this service to communities across the country.
Speaking at an information session hosted by Labour TD, Duncan Smith, in Leinster House, SIPTU Early Years National Committee member, Valerie Gaynor, said: “We only have just enough staff. The educators are highly qualified but underpaid. We don’t have a relief list of staff if one of the educators gets sick. We need funding for decent wages, at least €15 an hour.”
SIPTU Sector Organiser, Diane Jackson, said: “The findings of this year’s Early Years Professionals’ Survey are very stark. Unsurprisingly, low pay is the biggest cause of the staffing crisis in the Sector. The survey found that 86% of respondents identified low pay as their biggest work issue.
The next two biggest issues were ‘pressure due to staff shortages’ at 68%, and ‘stress and burnout’ at 65%. The consequences of low pay have a material impact on staff, with 95% of Early Years Educators only able to ‘make ends meet’ with ‘difficulty’ or ‘great difficulty’.