SWBG blog

Beyond Scotland: what does childcare look like elsewhere?

Over the past year, the Scottish Women’s Budget Group has been exploring different aspects of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) policy in Scotland: from affordability to flexibility (or lack thereof) of services, to the economic impact of investing in childcare (both in the short and long term). While these webinars have touched on some international examples of best practice, the last event of the series sought to address a question left untouched: what does childcare look like elsewhere? The webinar heard from speakers from Canada, France and Estonia.

Third order change. Childcare developments in Canada.

Susan Prentice, Duff Roblin Professor of Government at the University of Manitoba, kicked us off with an overview of the latest developments in Canada’s childcare system. Up until 2021, Canada was one of the lowest spenders on ECL among OECD countries: there was no country-wide programme, no entitlement, no plan for building a system, and limited public funding. High fees and low overall access were two of the most notorious features of the system, which offered no public provision of any kind.

Following decades of advocacy efforts and as a consequence of the pressures created by Covid, in 2021 the Government published its Canada-wide Early Learning and Childcare Plan (CWELCC), alongside its federal budget of 2021. It committed to building a system of affordable, inclusive, high quality “early learning and childcare for all” children below school age, backed by $30 billion to be spent over 5 years. The provinces and territories were responsible for the implementation of CWELCC. While differential approaches were taken, one the plan’s key features – the promotion of affordable childcare at a cost of $10/day to parents – has been delivered across the country. Similarly to what we saw in the previous webinar on ‘Is investing in childcare worth it?’, the economic returns of this investment are clear and quantifiable. For example, studies in Quebec have found returns on investment of more than $3.50 for every $1 spent on childcare.

But the question that Susan really wanted us to reflect on was... is this the type of radical and rare shift in policy (or “third order change”) that Paul Cairney, Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the University of Stirling refers to in his book ‘Understanding Public Policy’? And, in addition, will CWELCC become part of Canada’s social infrastructure?

Susan shared that the rollout of the policy has been messy. While federal conditions were clearly set out to ensure “affordability”, there was less clarity around expansion, inclusion, workforce recruitment and the quality of care available. Parallel to this, there is the paradox that low prices created “induced demand” and, with this, a perception that the policy is failing – this is being exploited by the Government’s opposition. And while limiting childcare costs to $10/day might remain in place under a different Government, other crucial objectives of the policy – such as the expansion of services through non-profits and public delivery, or stabilizing the childcare workforce – will most likely disappear from (a likely) new Government’s list of priorities, and with it, the idea of this policy being an example of ‘third order’ change.

Childcare in France

France’s childcare system is not exempt from challenges. Our second speaker, Nathalie Casso-Vicarini, an early childhood educator and the founder and managing director of the association “Ensemble pour la petite enfance”, stressed that the debate about public versus private childcare provision is a hot topic in the country. The level of public funding provided is 50%, with families contributing an amount depending on their financial circumstances, making the system affordable. Yet only 5% of children living under the poverty line have access to childcare centres. This very low level of access is a problem, as child poverty affects 1 in 5 children in France.

The French system relies on public and private settings, with a market share of 70% and 30% respectively. However, private settings are made up of big companies which sacrifice quality of care in pursuit of profit. In terms of accessibility of childcare, services are available to children from 10 weeks old to three years of age. While this level of access is positive, having the best interest of the child at heart means offering a nurturing environment as well, and for this, the training requirements of the workforce are key. In this regard and following on from the ‘First 1000 Days’ commission set up by President Macron in 2019, France has developed a framework to regulate the quality of care across all social services, including children’s services.

One example of evidence-based best practice in France is the ‘Houses of the first 1000 days’ (the Maisons des 1,000 Premiers Jours), a network of centers that support parents and young children from conception to two years old. 80% of couples join this network, which, among other objectives, aims at reducing mothers’ feelings of isolation which is a risk factor for children’s development.

Despite initiatives such as this and the wider focus on improving quality of care, France’s journey towards a childcare system that delivers more equitable outcomes is an unfinished task. Nathalie’s organisation sees the following five steps as a prerequisite to reach this objective:

• Better maternity and paternity policies (minimum of 6 months at 80% of the salary);
• Building confidence with all families through the ‘Houses of the first 1000 days’ with the aim of tackling poverty;
• Ensuring that the ELC workforce have access to high quality training;
• Providing access to public and affordable childcare for all children from the age of 6 months;
• Ensuring access in both rural and urban areas; and
• Continued evaluation of care quality by analysing data to ensure progress.

Is Estonia’s kindergarten model the way to go?

Ulle Matsin, Head of the Educational Policy Department at the Ministry of Education and Research in Estonia, explored the reasons behind Estonia’s strong performance in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), pointing towards the country’s quality of preschool education, which is an integral part of the country’s educational system.

Pre-school education is primarily delivered to children between the ages of 18 months to 7 years in specially dedicated educational institutions: mainly kindergartens, but also general education schools with kindergarten groups. However, the country also has childcare service providers (the majority of which are private). Pre-school education involves a learning curriculum and substantive methodological activities. Regarding costs, local government sets the fees for children attending kindergarten, which need to be covered by parents alongside food costs. However, fees cannot exceed 20% of the country’s minimum salary as set out by the Government.

Because not all families are able to get a place in a kindergarten, the Government is working to align the quality of childcare services. A new draft of Estonia’s Early Childhood Education Act has been submitted to the country’s Parliament for this purpose. Once the reviewed Act passes, all childcare services (the majority of which are private providers) will be under the control of the Ministry of Education and Research, meaning that childcare services will need to meet the same quality standards as kindergartens. This piece of legislation also aims to ensure that special support is provided in kindergartens to children with additional support needs, as already happens in school age settings.

Conclusion

This webinar shone a light on the importance placed on the affordability of childcare in the three countries discussed. It reinforced the possibilities that affordable childcare can provide for women’s employment and for the state in the form of additional tax revenues through expanded parental employment. Indeed, Canada’s recent developments should serve as a reminder that investing in social infrastructure pays off. Yet, despite progress being made, most countries are grappling with different issues, the most common of which seems to be ensuring equitable access to childcare and ensuring high quality of care is provided. Estonia’s efforts to ensure both these issues are addressed should serve as an example of what can be achieved when Governments’ determination is put to test.

You can review the previous webinars in this series here:

Scottish Women’s Budget Group | SWBG blog | What’s wrong with childcare in Scotland? A summary
Scottish Women’s Budget Group | SWBG blog | Flexible childcare, an ideal or a necessity? A summary
Scottish Women’s Budget Group | SWBG blog | Is investing in childcare worth it? A summary

This webinar series is supported by Oxfam Scotland