The Jigsaw centre is one of Ireland’s largest childcare facilities.
Workers at the facility have slammed the new Government funding scheme for creating what they call ‘Ghetto Childcare’.
They say they have already lost two children since the introduction of the Government’s new childcare subvention scheme was introduced last month.
A spokesman for the Office of the Minister for Children said the new scheme continues to support services like Jigsaw with grant funding which is specifically provided to enable the services to provide reduced childcare fees to disadvantaged parents. 

“Parents attending the services, who qualify under one of the three bands which measure disadvantage, can expect to be charged a subvented childcare fee,” he told Northside People.
“Parents who don't qualify for one of these bands, continue to benefit from the lower childcare fees generally available in community services.”
Kelda Barnes, a childminder at Jigsaw Childcare, told Northside People how the new system was affecting them.
“Our centre has already lost two children due to this scheme,” she said.
“Both are from working parent families and both are now being cared for by friends and relatives and are missing out on a pre-school education.
“The Government introduced the childcare subvention scheme to fund community childcare providers through subsidising the childcare costs of parents using their services who are in receipt of State benefits.”
“In theory, they are trying to look after the most disadvantaged. The reality is that it acts as a disincentive to work.
“It has cost several jobs throughout the country and it segregates and effectively ghettoises childcare.”
The centre currently caters for 200 children from the Darndale, Belcamp and Moatview communities, as well as employing 33 care staff and 42 community employment staff.
Ms Barnes warned that while the Jigsaw Childcare service was able to continue its services despite the cuts, other for-profit childcare facilities may have to shut down.
“I have heard of a number of places having to get rid of staff already,” she stated.
“It’s the kids that will suffer under this initiative.”
“The focus at our centre is on integration. We work to break down social exclusion by promoting the integration of children of all social backgrounds and abilities.”
“Under this new scheme, I worry that the only people who will be able to continue to afford childcare will be unemployed parents on social welfare, leaving the kids segregated again.”
Sharon O’Connor, from Coolock, has had to make alternative arrangements for her four-year-old son, James, as both she and her husband are in employment and don’t qualify for Government assistance.
“My son has been in childcare at Jigsaw since he was one and a half,” she told Northside People.
“Now he has to stay with his granddad but everyday he asks why he can’t be with his friends anymore.”
Sharon now has to regularly take time off work to help look after James and feels that the elderly people she looks after in her own job may suffer as a result.
“I work as a homecare assistant for the elderly but I have to take more and more time off now,” she added.
“I’ve built up a real relationship with a lot of the elderly people I have visited over the years but now they have to suffer because of the Government cuts to childcare; it’s a vicious circle.
“I don’t think many people will benefit from the subvention scheme; we should probably just go back to how it was before.”