Childcare provider saw almost 50 per cent of staff absent

While a lot of the focus has been on schools, childcare facilities have also been struggling to keep their services going due to Covid related staff shortages.

Between staff either contracting Covid or having to isolate due to being close contacts, it has left childcare facility managers under huge strain to keep rooms open and have enough staff to maintain the pod system.

Sandy Rooney who has two creches in Dunshaughlin said 14 of her 30 staff were out last week. Two of them had Covid but the rest were out because they were close contacts. Most of them are back to work this week.

To provide cover Sandy had to bring back in students who work for her during the summer, and her staff also did extra hours.

"I have amazing staff who are all doing extra hours to keep things going. It is only for a few days, we were very lucky.

"My head is pounding though. It is incredibly stressful trying to keep it all going."

Sandy feels the close contacts rule should be revised and pointed that she had staff at home who were well but couldn't come to work.

"It is absolutely ridiculous, when we are all vaccinated and boosted that the close contact rule is being enforced. Out of the 14 staff, two were sick with Covid but the rest were just waiting for their isolation days to be up so they could come back to work."

Meanwhile, Marie Daly of the Crann childcare group which runs 11 childcare facilities in Meath said the number of staff out varied from centre to centre. While, there were just two people out in Simonstown and Summerhill, there were ten out in Daoine Oga in Navan and 14 in their facility in Ballivor last week.

She said that it makes things difficult especially with the pod system but said keeping the pods was the only way they can control the spread of Covids within services.

"This is something that is not going away today or tomorrow, so have to manage it. The whole intention is not to close down services, that would be the last straw."

One preschool room had to close for a day last week in Daoine Oga but apart from that Ms Daly said they have managed to keep services going with very little interruption, with staff taking on extra hours and going over and above what is expected. They also asked if there were parents who didn't need the service to not use it last week and Ms Daly thanked parents for their patience and understanding.

See this week's paper for more on how local schools were affected