Crèche owners who participate in a protest over the “worsening childcare crisis” ahead of next week’s election will receive their State funding, Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone has said.

Ms Zappone said that she “has always supported better pay for Childcare Professionals” and has instructed her department and Pobal to authorise the payments for those who take part in the protest next Wednesday.

“Payments will be made on condition that Childcare Providers find an alternative, suitable date for parents to avail of childcare services in lieu of the day that the Service is closed” a statement on behalf of the minister said this afternoon.

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

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

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

Crèche owners were 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 have lost out on €303.60 per class.

• Read More: Crèches closing for protest rally to be docked State funds

Ms Zappone also said today that she is encouraging childcare professionals to join a trade union “as this is the only way to directly influence how much they are paid. Childcare Professionals are not employed by the State and therefore the State cannot determine their pay.”

The statement continued to say: “She secured provision of €2.2 million in 2020 for a Sectoral Employment Order Support and Sustainability fund for 2020 in the hope that Unions would apply to the Labour Court for a Sectoral Employment Order.for Childcare Professionals. The Unions have not yet done this but the fund remains in place for when that happens, which hopefully will be this year.”

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.

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