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What is the future for childcare? (Policy Brief 257 - January 2012)

What is the future for childcare? (Policy Brief 257 - January 2012)

10/01/12

 

In 2008, 43% of children under 3 years attended a "full time" childcare in France, while the average in OECD countries was about 30%. That same year, however, between 300,000 and 500,000 childcare places were estimated to be missing to fully meet the needs of parents of children under 3 years.

  • What is the future for childcare ?

To meet the demand, a major development plan was launched in 2009. It aimed to create 200,000 new childcare places by 2012. At the end of 2010, with about 80,000 additional childcare places available, the results are measuring up to the objective.

Nevertheless, many questions remain unanswered. Some of them have been brought up before and CAS identified several of these in a report from 2007 on the creation of a public service for early childhood: the rationalization of the childcare’s offer under the responsibility of several actors, information provided to parents, taking into account the diversity in different districts. Other questions appear to be more acute today: the continued development offered in the current public financing situation, being consistent with the new policy of school at 2 years, new aspirations for child nurses and the increasing role of the private sector.

To summarize, what strategies will ensure the long term needs of parents and can guarantee a balance between work and family life while simultaneously provide the best progress for children in a time of social pressure on finances?

Contents:

  • Development of the childcare’s offer to care for young children: International and national objectives
  • Three ways to develop the collective reception
  • Three ways to develop individual care
  • Promoting the management of what there is to offer in order to improve the quality of services provided to parents
  • Authors: Marie-Pierre Hamel and Sylvain Lemoine, Department of Social Questions

Press Contact:
Jean-Michel Roullé, Head of Communications
Phone: +33 (0)1 42 75 61 37 - jean-michel.roulle@strategie.gouv.fr

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