Scandal offers state a creche course in childcare needs

The paltry subsidy of €80 hardly puts a dent in childcare costs that average €1,100 a month in Dublin. Tax relief is the best way to offer choice and options to all

One would need to be living on the moon to have missed the fallout from Wednesday’s excellent RTÉ Prime Time Investigates programme into a group of creches in the Dublin area. The programme, Creches Behind Closed Doors, documented in alarming detail the appalling treatment of young children in the Hyde and Seek creche chain, highlighting entirely unacceptable practices such as screaming at toddlers and babies, holding their heads down to force them to ...