There will be changes in early childhood from January 1st.
Indeed, the law for full employment of December 18, 2023 provides for the establishment of the public early childhood service, with a much more important role for municipalities and intermunicipalities. “The new public early childhood service gives additional competence to municipalities and communities of municipalities: authorization to create crèches”explains the vice-president of the Departmental Council responsible for Early Childhood, Maryse Giannaccini.
“More legitimacy” for municipalities and communities of municipalities
For the Community of Communes of Pays de Sommières, which has had early childhood competence for 30 years, “this law will give us a little more legitimacy”explains the vice-president in charge of the file, Bernard Chluda. Because “until now, when there was a micro-crèche opening in the area, we had no say”he explains, satisfied to see the role of the community “reinforced”.
Renewed governance that changes the game. It is for this reason that the Department and the Family Allowance Fund organized a conference this Thursday at the Pont du Gard, which 160 elected officials and community representatives attended. If the situation changes, it is not only the role of municipalities and intermunicipalities that is evolving: that of the Department too, “which will be reinforced in its control mission, to regulate this sector”indicates Nicolas Julien, deputy director in charge of solidarity at the Departmental Council. Thus, the Department may go so far as to close structures that do not meet the expected standards. As for CAF, its role will always be to finance the structures, but also to support the projects, “particularly in financial arrangements”specifies Matthieu Perrot, director of CAF du Gard.
The Departmental Council and the CAF informed elected officials about the evolution of the public early childhood service • Photo : Thierry Allard
The challenge is, ultimately, to offer more nursery places. “In Gard, the rate of reception of children in nurseries and childminders is 52.5%, the national average is 60%, Gard lags behind in reception solutions”asks Matthieu Perrot. To remedy this, in addition to this new governance, “the State is putting 1.5 billion on the table to support communities”he continues, with one objective: “create 370 additional nursery places by 2027.” Currently, Gard has 4,581 places in daycare. Especially since at the same time, “between 25 and 30% of childminders will retire in the next five years”explains the director of CAF du Gard.
Allow return to work
We must therefore create places, “by ensuring that competent people open them, what we want is quality”says Maryse Giannaccini. In the private as in the public, even if care in public crèches remains less expensive than the private sector or childminders. Thus, of the 17,000 euros per year that a place in a crèche costs on average, 3,500 euros are borne by families, 3,500 by communities and 10,000 by the CAF. SO “the aim of the law is also to allow professional activity for both parents”recalls Matthieu Perrot, the lack of childcare solutions being one of the main obstacles to returning to employment, especially for women.
It is also for this reason that AVIP crèche places (for professional integration), reserved for job seekers and people in professional reintegration when they need them, will be deployed. “There are 40 in the department, the objective is 100 places by 2027, and if we can do more, we will do more”explains Jérôme Abellaneda, from CAF du Gard. For the Department, more nursery places also means “more prevention, support for parenting, to have fewer child protection problems”notes Nicolas Julien.
By the numbers
Gard has 6,700 births per year, 5,900 places with childminders and home childcare and 4,581 places in crèches. In total, our department has 21,700 children under 3 years old and 11,500 childcare places.
1.5 billion is therefore put on the table, so that CAF finances up to 80% of investments for nurseries, knowing that there is also “a bonus system, nursery places will be better financed than today, and CAF will also better finance existing places”indicates the director of CAF du Gard. The problem will therefore not be in the possible construction of crèches, but “more in the operating cost, and especially in finding trained staff”says Matthieu Perrot. Especially seen “the low attractiveness of early childhood professions, which is a handicap for the installation of this new public early childhood serviceexplains the chairman of the board of directors of CAF du Gard Didier Paquette. The palliative is the revaluation of these professions. »
It is also now necessary for municipal and intermunicipal elected officials to take up the issue. “We say to elected officials: you must get involvedlance Didier Paquette. You will be the decision-makers, be actors. »
