Childcare providers say the Government needs to sit down with them to work out how to save the industry.
498 children lost their place at a preschool or afterschool service in Cork last year with fears of more childcare closures.
Preschool owners say they can’t afford to pay staff the wages they deserve and that the funding they receive from the Government isn’t enough.
Speaking to RedFM News, Owner of Tots to Teens Childcare in Carrignavar Tracy Murphy-Roche says she can’t get the staff to run her business:
"Sit down with us and take our points of view onboard. They need to listen to the people that work there day in day out. The people who try and run it, the people who try and pay for it. It's grand saying Tracy we'll give you €5,000 more a month, there's no point you come in and find out where the real problem starts. It's not going to pay for me. I'm short five staff today out sick. I'm still advertising for five full time staff, and I can't get them"
