Early Childhood Education and Care provisions have seen mainstreaming in Malta in the last decade. Partly caused by a growing population, partly caused by working parents and partly caused by limited extended family support to raise children amongst other reasons, childcare has become an essential service to children and parents.
A growing number of families and children are using the service with 2023 data indicating that 51% of children under three years are attending childcare. Whilst initially the care dimension was central to the service, in the past years it evolved into an educational provision through dedicated programmes which provide an educational dimension to the service. Central in this dimension are childcare educators, centre co-ordinators and physical pro-education setups in childcare centres ably managed by the Foundation for Educational Services.
The Foundation for Educational Services has fourteen childcare centres in Malta and in Gozo. The State-run Childcare service is provided through qualified and dedicated educators whose love for children and education became their profession. A visit to these well-equipped centres is a full immersion experience of love, care and the upholding of the wellbeing of all children through a mix between formal and less formal educational settings.
Educators at these centres follow an approved educational programme that merges the exposure to the knowledge and skills with play. It is fascinating to note that the educational programme being provided in these centres, known as the Emergent Curriculum is the same curriculum used in kindergarten and in the first years of primary schooling. This ensures a seamless transition from childcare education to kindergarten. The service goes beyond education and care.
Through structured observations, childcare educators identify early learning difficulties and use referral procedures to ensure that dedicated early intervention services are provided to children by professionals. The ongoing communication between parents and childcare educators in these centres is also an essential element to assist the development of the child by sharing experiences and observations.
Kindergarten educators who have intakes of students at the age of three years after attending these centres often remark that the overall development of the child improves after the childcare experience and children are more inclined to and receptive about the next stages of their educational journey. This is clearly attributable to the educational provision of the childcare services since, as confirmed by research, the first years are very important in the development of the child and determine the formation during subsequent years.
The childcare service is regulated by the Directorate of Quality and Standards in Education (DQSE). Whilst ensuring that facilities are up to standard at the licensing stage, the Directorate carries out inspections at these centres to ensure the best educational provision. The state-owned childcare services of the Foundation for Education Services operate in tandem with private-owned childcare centres, which follow the state-set standards of the DQSE for licensing and running purposes. Although privately-owned, the services of these centres are state-funded through the free childcare scheme offered to parents at national level.
The MUT represents childcare educators and all personnel at the Foundation for Educational Services and is currently involved in negotiations with the government on a new collective agreement. It shall lead to further improvement of this essential service whilst recognising the services of all the personnel at the Foundation.
Marco Bonnici is President of the Malta Union of Teachers