Sir, - Educators and psychologists alike now agree that a child's mental and social capabilities are formed by the age of five. Therefore a positive, effective pre-school environment is vital for a child's development. Yet, to date, pre-school education is almost completely run by the private sector in this country with no government aid in any shape or form. The fact that the government is taking an interest in pre-school education through the Child Care Act, is, to say the least, well overdue. However, the main issue of debate in relation to pre-school education concerns tax relief for parents; there appears to be no debate in relation to the privately run pre-schools and the problems facing them due to the implementation of the 1996 Child Care Act.
My main concern is the different stipulations in the Child Care Act, which will require substantial financial input from pre-schools. Income levels in the pre-school sector are very low. One does not need an economics degree to realise that the onerous and expensive regulations which are currently being imposed upon the pre-schools will result in substantial hardships and closures that will further damage Ireland's already poor record in early education. Whilst I do not disagree with the thrust of the regulations, it is iniquitous and immoral of the government to impose them on one of the most poorly funded and lowest paid sectors of the Irish economy, without providing state aid to enable pre-school units to comply. - Yours, etc., Denice Cunningham,
Monkstown Montessori, Co Cork.