In certain circumstances, the sorts of childcare available in Europe's capitals differ substantially. When it comes to capabilities and expenses, there are also vastly varied methods.
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| Childcare in Europe: How Different The Cost Of Childcare In European Countries? |
The European Union's objective is that by 2030, 50% of children under the age of three, and 96% of children between the ages of three and school-age, would be cared for in kindergartens or day care facilities. This is what the European Council stated in the Barcelona targets. Because women continue to perform care labor in greater numbers, this should result in more equitable professional prospects for women while also compensating for societal disadvantages.
The EU has long made it a priority to offer childcare for children before they reach school age. The member states agreed on a childcare quota of 33% for children under the age of three and 90% for all children between the ages of three and school age as early as 2002. This target has now been met on average across the EU. Yet, there are significant variances amongst the member countries. We display the distance between nations and capitals.
Children are in care per European Countries
Nowadays, more than every second kid under the age of three attends at least one hour of formal childcare each week in Denmark, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Iceland, France, Belgium, Sweden, and Portugal. The proportion is less than 10% in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania.
The age at which children can enter care facilities varies greatly among nations. The discrepancy is even more pronounced when it comes to whether the public sector pays for the spots and if children have a "right" to a childcare spot. In certain nations, kindergarten attendance is required from a specific age.
A comparison of childcare in selected European capital cities
Since 2013, children in Germany have had the legal right to early childhood support at a day-care facility or child day care beginning at the age of one and continuing until the age of three. Nevertheless, the specific implementation varies by state. Daycare in Berlin is free for all children, with the exception of a food allowance of 23 euros.
The Bertelsmann Foundation's education specialist, Kathrin Bock-Famulla, praised the German system for not distinguishing between care and educational needs. "In Germany, caring is traditionally associated with education," she explains. "There is still a mentality in other European nations that when it comes to under 3-year-olds, it is about childcare in the sense of allowing parents the flexibility to go about their business."
The capacity of day-care centers and kindergartens is a concern that is not limited to Germany. There are frequently insufficient spaces. In a comparison of the selected cities, Berlin comes in second place.
With a similar number of kids, Brussels has nearly twice as many kindergarten spots as Prague
According to a 2021 research commissioned by the new coalition "Kitastimme," up to 40% of children over the age of two from migrant households do not attend a day care center or day care - also due to the difficulty of obtaining a spot. Because access to childcare facilities is a significant aspect. According to a new study, in nations that do not allow private, for-profit programs for children aged 3 to 6, parents generally consider this access as better.
Parents' decisions are impacted by variables such as cultural conventions - or the availability of grandparents or other family members nearby - especially for children under the age of three, who are already less likely to attend daycare.
According to statistics, youngsters in Germany spend an increasing amount of time at such facilities each day. "It implies the day care center is a place of life for them alongside their family, and they have the right to develop friends and feel at home there," explains Bock-Famulla.
This cultural shift in Europe has far-reaching repercussions. There is a growing recognition that the most essential element at day-care facilities, nurseries, and kindergartens is that the children feel at ease. It's just a matter of being able to "turn it off" less than previously. Simultaneously, daycare improves parents' access to the work market.
Seeing such spaces as playful learning environments promotes social balance by encouraging youngsters from various social groups. If it is not pricey private kindergartens, but rather public spaces, there will be more interchange between children whose parents are extremely different.