Childcare Community Business Clg. T/A Treasure Tots Nursery

Lobbying Organisation Childcare Community Business Clg. T/A Treasure Tots Nursery

Date published 02 Sep, 2016

Relevant Matter Legislation

Public Policy Area Children and Youth Affairs

Period 1 May, 2016 to 31 Aug, 2016

Specific Details We are a community based nursery in a disadvantaged area and rely on CE participants engaged in childcare training to staff the nursery. The new Pre school regulation re mandatory FETAC level 5 qualification for adults who work directly with the children will have a disastrous impact on our nursery. We rely on CE participants to make up the adult child ratios and if we no longer can count them in we need to employ fully qualified staff to comply with this new regulation.

Intended results We are not sustainable and cannot generate more income to employ fully trained staff to comply with this regulation. We need additional support funding to employ the additional qualified staff to comply with the new regulation. Otherwise we will close with the loss of 60 childcare places and 26 staff which would be huge blow to a RAPID area with a number of DEIS schools. We cannot increase our fees so we need additional support funding for additional staff to keep the nursery open.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Joan Collins and Linda Ratican

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Meeting (2-5)

Called to various politicians local office or clinics in this area

Email (2-5)

Subsequent to the meetings communicated with the various local politicians by email

Letter (1)

Letter to Minister Zappone replying to the letter the minister wrote to Catherine Byrne about our current position around the new Pre School regulation and CE participants in training exclusion from adult child ratios Sent letter by email

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Joan Collins TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Catherine Byrne TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Katherine Zappone Minister (Department of Children and Youth Affairs)