The political parties’ electoral proposal to offer free childcare “might be the catalyst” to kick off a change similar to setting up voluntary kindergarten classes, according to the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations.
Lorraine Spiteri, council member of the confederation and managing partner of Vista Coop, which runs four childcare centres, said the change in culture and attitudes towards the benefits of childcare “has been a long, drawn-out ongoing effort over the past years”.
Free childcare should be considered “an investment and not a cost,” she said, echoing a statement by Labour leader Joseph Muscat, who was the first to promise free childcare to all working parents with children aged three years and younger.
Estimated to cost €3.1 million in the first year, the initiative is thought to create 3,000 childcare places over a five-year period and 500 new jobs.
The Nationalist Party proposed a similar scheme, saying it would allocate €5 million for a voucher system for parents working full- or part-time or on reduced and flexible hours and those who were studying.
The vouchers will cover the total or partial cost of childcare centres of their choice.
Ms Spiteri said...
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