The regional chamber of accounts highlights the challenges of managing municipal daycare centers in the city of Montpellier. Despite significant financial efforts, the supply remains insufficient and structural weaknesses impact this service.
The city of Montpellier, which has more than 300,000 inhabitants, had to take restrictive measures at the beginning of 2024 in its management of municipal crèches. In particular, she decided the closure of sections and reduction of hours in certain structures. A report from the regional chamber of accounts, published this Wednesday, December 18, highlights the challenges that the community faces in adapting its crèche offering to the growing needs of its population.
Six hundred and fifty agents at the early childhood center
The chamber highlights the financial efforts made by the municipality for early childhood, with 650 agents mobilized, including 580 working in 28 nurseries, to a net cost of more than 13 million euros in 2022. This represents an additional charge of 10,000 euros per place, a level higher than the national average. “The municipality is trying to reduce it, in particular by increasing the occupancy rate of daycare centers,” indicates the CRC.
However, the offer remains insufficient: Montpellier only offers 47 places for 100 children under three years, compared to 59 nationally. A deficit that the municipality is trying to fill with a plan to create 312 new places from 2021 to 2027 for an investment of 30 million euros.
“Structural fragilities” which affect Montpellier daycare centers
The report also highlights “more structural weaknesses which are specific to this particular sector of activity”notes the CRC. The difficulty in recruiting early childhood professionals, accentuated by difficult working conditions and remuneration considered unattractive, is a major problem. Since 2022, the city has increased the compensation of these staff, for an annual cost of 1.4 million euros, but without benefiting from the support of the National Family Allowance Fund.
Finally, high absenteeism is another major challenge. A prevention plan was adopted at the end of 2022 to improve working conditions and reduce accidents, but its effectiveness remains to be evaluated. “The persistence of absenteeism at a very high level is likely to penalize the continuity and quality of the service offered to families,” underlines the report.
