Childcare ruining parents, costing them a fortune

By Fiona Lidya Stoica

they are a single parent- they will not have enough money to live.

Despite parents getting child benefits monthly, it is just not enough – parents receive every first Tuesday of the month a set amount of money depending on how many children they have.

If a family has only one child, they receive €140 per month – if there are two children, then the family receives €280 per month.

Despite the government’s help, this monthly payment does not even cover one week of preschool – it is understandable why parents feel restless and stressed about living in Dublin.

Preschools are just adding stress to parents who are just trying to make a living and get by – many feel that they have no choice but to enrol their children in preschool, as that is what many other parents are doing.

New parents feel the need to follow other parents as it is their first time experiencing parenthood – many often feel that if they do not do what others are doing, they will be ostracised from parent groups.

One of the reasons why parents decide to enrol their child in preschool is because the other parent most likely wants the mother to join the work field again – they then have to choose a preschool from its reputation, stimulating curriculum, qualifying, caring staff, clean, safe facilities and current license.

According to a significant study, teachers worry that certain junior infants are “over-prepared” in academic skills, including literacy and numeracy. They state that at this age, it is more crucial to focus on social, emotional, and self-management abilities, such as the ability to put on a coat, establish friends, and control emotions.The current Children’s School Lives project followed 4,000 kids across 189 schools to learn about their experiences.

According to the survey, there are indications of a “disconnect” between parents and teachers regarding the standards for learning at the preschool and primary school levels. The study was informed by one school principal that “you have children now who are two years in a preschool setting, so they’re coming into junior infants, and a lot of what’s been done in the current junior infant class has already been done in the preschool, so there’s complete overlap.”One of the major findings of the study is the necessity of enhancing the cooperation and collaboration taking place between preschools and primary schools to promote children’s transitions.

Additionally, it emphasises the necessity of improving play-based learning in primary schools and making social and emotional development a higher priority.

Still, notably, those at risk due to poverty, social isolation, or specialised learning requirements are thought to benefit from a smooth transition.

Now is it necessary to put parents under financial strain when the study states that both preschool and junior infants intersect – that will now be up to parents to decide whether they want to pay a fortune for the child to attend preschool and then do the same thing for junior infants for free. Shannon Murphy (32), a mother of two, expressed that her

“(My) first child attended preschool and dinner club at the preschool and now is third class, but he is not enjoying school and hates doing school work, it takes me over an hour to convince him to do his homework and he often likes to lie that he has none for the night.”

Shannon also complained and showed her concern about the prices of preschool for her youngest child to attend, “I have looked at every preschool that there is near my home, so it is convenient, but I just couldn’t find one that was suitable for me and my partner’s budget. We applied to many somewhat in our price range, and still, all rejected us.”