Care centres will be paid €3 per hour per child if they enter into a public-private partnership under the Government’s new free childcare scheme.

That’s an increase of 75 cents on the average charged by the majority of operators, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said yesterday.

The increase will encourage childcare centres to upgrade their infrastructure and invest in embellishment, the minister said.

The issue was that many parents found the centres too expensive

His press conference followed Monday’s Budget announcement that working parents (married or single) will benefit from a free childcare service from April 2014 for children up to three years of age.

The Government will pay for childcare during the hours the parent spends at work as well as an extra hour a day commuting. So a parent working a 20-hour week would be compensated by the Government for 25 hours. If a parent starts work at 9am, he or she would drop off their child at the centre at 8.30am and pick him/her up 30 minutes after finishing work.

The Government will not build any new centres as it is estimated that many private childcare facilities are only utilising 30 per cent of their potential.

Mr Bartolo said that the childcare centre at San Ġwann, which he praised as being one of the best, could potentially double the number of children in attendance.

Speaking to Times of Malta, coordinator Clyde Caruana explained that a number of private childcare centres were on the brink of bankruptcy.

“The issue was that many parents found the centres too expensive. Through a survey we carried out, we estimate that the demand will increase by 30 per cent next year.”

He insisted that there were enough qualified carers to cater for the increased demand, adding that many were currently working on a part-time basis.

He added that all carers must have a Level 4 qualification (the equivalent of a diploma), while the centres’ managers are to possess a Level 5.

The carer to children ratio will remain as it currently is: one carer for every three children under a year, one carer for every five children aged between one and two years and one carer for every six children aged over two. The service does not cater for children who are old enough to begin kindergarten.

Children with learning disorders such as autism will not be supplied with a learning support assistant (LSA). Only families where both parents are employed (full-time or part-time) are eligible for free childcare. This extends to employed single parents who are the primary caregivers.

Parents who are students do not fall under the scheme, although the Government is not excluding the possibility of further extending the initiative in the future.

Parents will be able to apply by registering at the childcare centre of their choice as well as with the Department of Education.

Mr Caruana confirmed that nearly all the private childcare centre will opt to be part of the public-private partnership, with only around five deciding not to join.

A White Paper on childcare was uploaded on the Education Ministry’s website yesterday.

The Government is inviting the public to e-mail their suggestions to childcare@gov.mt by end November.

This will initiate the process leading to a law on childcare being enacted in the near future.