The political parties’ electoral proposal to offer free childcare “might be the catalyst” to kick off a change similar to setting up voluntary kindergarten classes, according to the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations.
Lorraine Spiteri, council member of the confederation and managing partner of Vista Coop, which runs four childcare centres, said the change in culture and attitudes towards the benefits of childcare “has been a long, drawn-out ongoing effort over the past years”.
Free childcare should be considered “an investment and not a cost,” she said, echoing a statement by Labour leader Joseph Muscat, who was the first to promise free childcare to all working parents with children aged three years and younger.
Estimated to cost €3.1 million in the first year, the initiative is thought to create 3,000 childcare places over a five-year period and 500 new jobs.
The Nationalist Party proposed a similar scheme, saying it would allocate €5 million for a voucher system for parents working full- or part-time or on reduced and flexible hours and those who were studying.
The vouchers will cover the total or partial cost of childcare centres of their choice.
Ms Spiteri said childcare should be seen as an investment and “this is in line with a 2010 study by Labour MEP Edward Scicluna evaluating the benefits of parental leave that concluded there are significant benefits more than costs”.
Ms Spiteri said that, in many countries, there was a direct link between the accessibility and affordability of childcare services and the rate of female participation in the labour market.
In turn, this impacted positively on the female economic independence with a number of benefits not only for women but also on their families and society.
“The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations has been lobbying in favour of such proposals for a long time,” Ms Spiteri said.
With other incentives, such as after-school activities, flexitime and teleworking, Ms Spiteri said such an incentive should lead towards more gender equality.
The proposal might lead to a change similar to setting up voluntary kindergarten classes.
“Initially, this was faced with considerable disapproval from those who thought that it would be unacceptable to take a three-year-old away from its mother,” Ms Spiteri said.
It did not take too much to realise “there were only benefits” as about 95 per cent of all children between three and five attended kindergarten classes, she added.
Women in employment pay national insurance contributions and taxes, meaning they would be contributing directly to the economy, which leads to economic growth.
Families, especially single parents, will be more encouraged to come off social benefits and get out of poverty and having fewer people on social benefits should be another good reason why such a proposal will be sustainable, according to Ms Spiteri.
“It is hoped that the National Standards for Child Day Care facilities that regulate the centres and, so far, are voluntary, will soon become law and, enforced,” she added.