A new professional body has been formed for providers of full daycare and crèches in Ireland.

In total, there are around 4,000 childcare facilities around Ireland, more than a quarter of which are full daycare providers.

Regina Bushell is a provider herself and organiser of Together For Change.

She said that with new contracts on childcare provision due, it is important the sector has a voice.

“The new contracts from the Government are due to come out to us, and at the moment we are less than four months away from that new contract and we haven’t even seen a draft of what’s going to be in that new contract for providing all of the Government’s schemes,” she said.

“It’ll come on our desks, we’ll get a certain amount of time to sign that and agree to it, and the Government haven’t discussed it.”