For the first time new creches and preschools here will have to undergo inspection before they can open their doors to babies and young children.

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has updated the country’s childcare regulations for the first time in 10 years.

Previously, childcare centres only had to ‘notify’ Tusla they were setting up and were not obliged to register with the inspectorate. Sometimes, it took years before they were inspected for compliance with childcare regulations.

From July 1, all childcare workers will also be required to have childcare training up to Fetac Level 5. Before this, such training was only necessary for those working in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme or free preschool year.

Childcare providers have to ensure children get access to an outdoor play area every day and all staff have to undergo annual appraisals. There is a new emphasis on the administration of the creches, with ‘skilled’ boards of management or management structures required.

According to Early Childhood Ireland, existing services will be automatically registered once they fill out a statutory declaration by the end of next month. Once the regulations are in place, creches will have to re-register every three years.

Despite the increased emphasis on training in the childcare sector, the wages are still low, according to Childcare Ireland chief executive Theresa Heaney.

“Skilled childcare workers are still only paid €10.27 per hour with only a €1 hour increase if you are a room leader with even greater responsibility. This is a huge problem given that the ECCE capitation grants paid to creche owners are so low,” said Ms Heaney.

Read the full article on The Irish Examiner website here