Malta is among the few countries to offer free childcare for all, with the majority of EU countries operating the services on a subsidies system. Malta is also one of the few countries that has a National Strategy for Early Childhood and Care in place to cater for children’s learning and development from birth to seven years.
We boast of the childcare service provided in our country, as we firmly believe that childcare and early education are of central importance to our society and a key responsibility for Government. Childcare services benefit not only the children left in the care of our highly professional staff, but are also a benefit to their working parents and those choosing to better their education or continue with their careers.
This government introduced the free Childcare Scheme, an initiative which was promised in the Government’s Electoral Manifesto, whereby the government provides free childcare services to parents who are in employment or are pursuing their education, with the aim to help families achieve a work/life balance. The scheme was listed on the electoral manifesto of the Labour Party as part of a wider package of investments aimed at increasing the female employment rate.
Continuing on the success of this scheme, which saw a significant increase in women continuing their work careers, or indeed continuing their studies, we will be enhancing this scheme with an extension of opening hours, including opening on Saturday mornings, as announced in the last budget.
An EU Commission report titled Early Childhood and Education Care in Europe published in 2019 states that in Malta, around 80% of the children attending childcare centres use the Free Childcare Scheme (NSO, 2017), but also emphasises that Malta has generous targeted childcare entitlements for working and studying parents. Families who avail of free childcare are benefitting of more than €4,000 a year for every child in free services.
Malta is an island that invests generously in human capital, acknowledging that this is the island’s primary resource, and our free childcare system is this Government’s commitment to facilitate the entry or re-entry of women in the workforce. In fact, this government has prioritised increasing the rate of female workforce participation, which has historically been low compared to other EU countries.
It has been statistically proven that with the introduction of the free childcare services, the female percentage of the total labour force went up from 38.379% in 2013 to 42.782% in 2020, as published by the World Bank based on data retrieved this month. Employment gender gap registered a year-on-year decrease since 2013, as published in the NSO statistics in 2020.
The free Childcare Scheme boosted mothers’ working hours, contributing millions of euros to Malta’s economy, €2 million in just under the first three years since the introduction of the scheme.
The social and economic benefits of good quality childcare and early years education are numerous. Childcare and early years education have emerged as an important issue for the European Commission in its annual process of policy coordination – the European Economic Semester. For the Commission, the main driving force behind this policy is the extent to which it can help increase the participation of parents, particularly women, in the labour market. However, the provision of high quality, affordable and accessible childcare delivers a range of important short and long-term social and economic benefits. These include helping to reduce the poverty and inequality that impairs children’s educational and social development; providing employment in the sector itself and contributing to closing the gender pay and employment gaps.
In Malta, childcare centres provide care to babies and toddlers aged between three months and three years. All children are offered with a personalised service of quality care. Working in partnership with primary caregivers, each child is empowered to develop a lifetime of learning in a fun, caring andstimulating environment.
Childcare centres are not babysitting centres, but through them we aim at the holistic development of the child, following the play-way and activity approach to provide a stimulating environment for holistic, intellectual, social, emotional, physical and language development of the child. Testimonials from parents endorse the invaluable commitment of our caregivers at all centres.
The Foundation of Educational Services is doing sterling work, offering programmes to engage children in non-formal educational activities which are so important in teaching children important life skills transferable to other areas of their lives. FES has from its inception, always played an important role in the educational sector – not only as a top contributor in this field, but also with the various services provided - Child Care centres, Klabb 3-16 and SkolaSajf. Services that all help in reassuring that working parents have a more than adequate place where their children can stay and continue their development.
In order to enrich the children’s learning experience, we aim to strengthen the provision of non-formal teaching through interesting activities that vary on a daily basis. This is also done, as our objective is not simply to watch the children, but also to enable them to enjoy a more colourful journey in the educational sector. Our ambition is that each and every child goes home wanting to come back and enhance his view on education. Quoting Albert Einstein, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”
When dealing with our children’s future, even from the earliest age, we will not let any hurdles stop us. Our children’s future is a priority, as they deserve the best.
Dr Clifton Grima, Minister for Education and Sport