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[Press Release: April 15th, 2005] Greens claim it is time childminders got NITSGreens welcome a new service for Childminders in Bray called - NITS. This is a service provided by the Wicklow County Childcare Committee to support Childminders in Bray and other towns by providing them with Networking, Information, Training & Support.Since June 2004, many training courses have been run in Bray, Wicklow and Arklow town. These courses attracted over 165 people to contact the service and through this approx. 85 qualified and potential Childminders have now met each other on courses, which brings them onto the next step - a Childminders Network. Cllr. Caroline Burrell was delighted to be invited to launch the Bray branch of the Childminder's Network last Friday morning to tie in with National Childminders week, which was also attended by her Green Party colleague, Cllr. Deirdre de Burca. A Coffee Morning was hosted by the Wicklow County Childcare Committee in the Esplanade Hotel for all, while Kiddie Kraft were doing fun Arts & Crafts with the children whose work will be put on display in local libraries to celebrate the vital work that Childminders do in caring for our children. Cllr. Caroline Burrell stated "I am very pleased to see this network being set up in Bray where Childminders can meet to relax, exchange information, get training and support to further develop themselves as well as some adult conversation! Childminders have borne the weight of Childcare is this country for too long, while Ireland is far below the EU average regarding what is spent on childcare, with unpaid care work providing a daily subsidy to the state. It is time they got the funding and respect they deserve." Over the next few months another new scheme will be launched, Voluntary Notification, which will allow Childminders who mind 3 or fewer children to notify the HSE voluntarily of their existence. This will give those Childminders priority in accessing the training, support and funding available as well as recognising their services. Cllr. Deirdre de Burca welcomed this new initiative, "Being a Childminder is one of the most important jobs there is as it involves total trust and understanding to enable a child to develop in a safe and warm environment. The whole childcare area needs to be further enhanced by the government with more long-term investments regarding, funds, training and tax-breaks to ensure that Childminders are given all the resources they need."
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