Part-Time
Day
Care Centers
Courtesy of
Allison
Shelley at Education Week
Newspaper
Garderies Périscolaires
These
centers
are managed and financed by government municipalities.
They offer placement before and after school hours for
children whose parents work long hours. The
centers are run by licensed child-care workers, some of
whom even take the children to and from school if their parents
are unable to do so. Garderies périscolaires
are generally very cheap, although wealthier families have to
pay
more than lower-class families.
Haltes-Garderies
These centers offer
a place for parents to drop off their children on
short notice if they need to tend to personal business or
simply take a break. Parents have to pay only about
a quarter of the total cost of these services, and the
government
pays the rest. Haltes-Garderies are
helpful to parents because
they offer convenient, government-approved babysitting
services. They are also good for children, because
being at the centers allows them to spend time away from their
parents with
other children their age.
Centres de Loisirs
These are government-subsidized
centers for children age two and up. They
operate during times when school is not in session, including
holidays, seasonal vacation times, and summer breaks.
The government also provides three week long summer
camps for children age four and up.
Relais Parentals
These are centers for children in abusive or problematic family
situations. They operate at all hours and charge by day.
Parents who are going through marital problems or any other kind
of difficulties can use these services whenever they need to, instead
of permanently placing children outside of the home.
References:
Bergmann,
Barbara R. 1996. Saving Our Children from Poverty: What the United
States Can Learn from France. New York: Russell Sage.
The purpose of this web site is
to provide web users with information on the social status of children in
France. This site was designed by Jill Ulicny, Kacie Hovell, and Clare
Harpham as part of a collaborative web project for the first year writing
seminar Children and Society, at Tulane
University taught by
Professor
April Brayfield.
Updated December 13, 2002