Sherpa Kids’ new report, No child left behind: reforming school-age childcare in Ireland, shows just how profound the impact of Covid-19 lockdown has been on parents and children. It also demonstrates how much every part of Irish society and the economy, including parents, children, and school communities, stand to benefit from increased government investment in school-age childcare.

More than 9 in 10 parents report that lockdown has had negative effects on their lives and the lives of their children, particularly in terms of mental health. As many as 80% believe that their child’s routine has been negatively altered, while 67% believe that their education has been hindered.

Working parents have been asked to function as part-time teachers, and as individual schools and classes are closed to contain virus outbreaks, it is likely that this will continue. Intuitively, we know that parents cannot be fully professionally productive while also providing a quality education to their children. The data bears this out: 64% said they have found it very or quite challenging to home-school, while 62% have had difficulty even finding the time to do it…