A multiplicity of reception and care options strongly supported by public funding
The objectives and actors of the young child care policy have diversified, while its mechanisms have become more complex. In contrast to parental care, formal care covers the offer legally organized and assisted by public authorities, implemented by public, associative or private market operators. A principle regularly reaffirmed, the free choice of childcare method is understood as the provision of all childcare methods for all parents. This principle is sometimes interpreted as the possibility of choosing among available childcare options without financial barriers, which is unrealistic given public finance constraints. Some schemes directly finance young child care establishments, in particular nurseries benefiting from the single service provision, while others financially support families in accessing various forms of care by allocating them aid, or by granting them tax credits. This public funding represented €16.1 billion in 2022, or nearly 90% of all expenditure linked to childcare. At the end of 2022, 1.31 million formal childcare places were offered to 2.17 million children under 3 years old, representing a coverage rate of 60.3%. The system appears complex due to the number of devices and interactions between participants.
An unequal offer between territories in density and quality
The policies for welcoming young children applied territorially have allowed the creation of a diverse and heterogeneous offer but unevenly distributed according to the territories and not making it possible to satisfy a fifth of the demand of families. The share of parents of children under 3 years old not benefiting from either a childcare place or compensation for parental care increased from 23.3% in 2014 to nearly 29% in 2022. This situation results from a lack of overall offer, which is coupled with coverage of territories with a higher standard of living in collective reception structures, while those with a lower standard of living benefit more from a reception offer individual. On the other hand, the massive retirement of childminders, as well as the shortage of qualified early childhood professionals, is hampering the development of the young childcare offer both quantitatively and qualitatively, thus weakening the the public authorities' objective of creating 200,000 formal reception places by 2030. The complexity of the system hinders access to socially or culturally disadvantaged families and the allocation processes are still lacking transparency.
Public funding less and less sustainable, without allowing a financially accessible offer for all families
Families with modest incomes generally make less use of formal childcare due to their cost, which can be dissuasive. Collective care in establishments financed by the provision of a single service is more financially accessible to them, while care with childminders is the one which offers the most places. The gap in out-of-pocket expenses for families is also marked between the crèche financed by the single universal service provision and care provided by a childminder, which is significantly more expensive for families with low incomes. Daycare centers financed by the provision of a single service, more accessible for families, nevertheless constitute the most expensive mode of care for the community. The reform of the childcare supplement, which will take effect in 2025, will help reduce this inequality of access. However, public spending appears poorly controlled. Several projects already implemented or under consideration, such as increasing the number of adults per child in daycare, could increase the cost to public finances by several billion euros per year.
A welcome that allows work and family life to be reconciled for most working parents
Achieving the objective of reconciling professional and family life was analyzed according to the professional situation of the parents. The more parents work, the more their children benefit from formal care (up to 82% in the case where both work), while the activity rate of mothers of young children decreases with the number of children. Returning after maternity or parental leave is supported in various ways by companies. The employer's possible support through a parenthood support policy is linked to the need to attract and retain employees of age to have children. The development of teleworking has opened up new possibilities in this area. Maternity leave granted for the first two children is short in France, compared to other OECD countries. In a context of shortage of early childhood professionals, an extension of maternity leave by one month and better compensation for parental care would make it possible to reduce the need for formal care by around 105,000 cribs, at a cost net of around €710 million per year.
