Editorial: Childcare shortage a growing cause of concern in Kilkenny

Concerns continue to mount around childcare provision in Kilkenny, and there are fears in the north of the county this week over several providers indicating closure or discontinuation of some services.

It seems a storm is brewing. High operating costs, staffing resources, and lack of funding are among the causes. Closures of these vital services will put many families into a precarious position.

Successive governments have promised to tackle this issue and to prioritise childcare, but the problem persists. Local TD Natashsa Newsome Drennan says childcare was simply given ‘lip service’ in the Programme for Government, and that more capacity is required. She says she has been fielding calls from distressed parents concerned their after-school service is to cease operating in the Castlecomer area from this September.

Adequate childcare is not a ‘luxury’, but a critical resource for families and the wider economy, particularly in homes where both parents are working.

A lack of services places a strain on household budgets, on grandparents who often must pick up the burden, or parents who contemplate giving up work. They should not be put into this position.

SENATORS

We welcome the election to Seanad Eireann of two Kilkenny-based candidates in Malcolm Noonan (Green Party) and Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats).

Kilkenny had no seats at all in the last Seanad. The Taoiseach has not yet indicated his own nominees, so the final makeup of the house is not yet decided, but it is positive and important that Kilkenny will have a voice(s) in the chamber.

Senator Noonan is an experienced politician who was a strong advocate for Kilkenny in the previous Dáil. Senator Stephenson is a new candidate who will offer a fresh perspective, and has made history as her party’s first Seanad member. We wish them both well in their terms of office.