A total of 2,722 children under three are benefiting from free childcare services introduced in April, according to Education Minister Evarist Bartolo.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the Qawsalla Smart Kids Childcare Centre in Gżira, which brings the number of childcare centres to 72, the majority run through public-private partnerships and the rest by the State and private entities.

We have had better results than expected

Employment and Training Corporation chairman Clyde Caruana said that, since April, the number of children attending childcare centres grew by 1,000, bringing the total to 3,300, including children whose parents do not benefit from free childcare services because the scheme targets married or single working parents and those in training or studying.

Mr Caruana said an estimated 25 per cent of the 700 people who started working since April were mothers encouraged to enter the labour market following the provision of free childcare services.

Sixty per cent of theses mothers, he added, worked on a part-time basis.

“We have had better results than expected,” he said.

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said parents were benefiting from about €10,000 per child over the span of three years.

“I enjoy seeing what we planned on paper turn to reality. We took a calculated risk. It’s always a risk when you offer free services to the public. But the government was ready to take on the weight of parents who were ready to contribute to the economy,” he said.

“Mothers faced a lot of obstacles when it came to working. We have removed the financial obstacles for mothers who work, be it full-time or part-time.”

Mr Bartolo said childcare centres had a focused educational mission. He noted that the first 1,000 days from the conception of a child were crucial for the child’s development.

He said the experience offered at childcare centres aimed to be stimulating.

“Children who come from caring family backgrounds have an advantage in life. One of the pros of childcare centres is that they embrace children from different social strata, also giving the same chance to all the children.”