Childcare
Birth and the First Months of Life- The existing model of parental leave implicitly suggests the obligation of a mother to take time off for the crucial first months of the baby’s life. France has adopted a progressive system that can be used as a model for other European countries.
- For detailed information on parental leave in France, please visit the Parental Leave page.
- Public and private nurseries are available throughout France, with training required so as to ensure quality of care.
- There are two options available to parents with young children between the ages of three months and three years old.
- Crèches Parentales (Parental Labor)
- Nursery options in this category cater to parents who desire more involvement in this early stage of development.
- This option is a parent-organized nursery structure that strictly employs assistants maternelles (a mother's assistant)
- Public crèches are funded through regional and local organizations with an additional small parental fee. Private crèches have fluctuating tuition depending on location.
- These nurseries tend to host children for 11 hours per day throughout most of the calendar year.
- Haltes Garderies ("Drop-In" daycare)
- This preschool option is run by certified pediatricians and childcare providers.
- These programs provide activities in art, music, play and social interaction.
- This
nursery option is primarily used under temporary conditions, where
parents bring the children in for a couple of hours at most.
- For parents with children between the ages of two and six, preschool options are available in two forms.
- Ecole maternelle (infant daycare)
- This form of childcare is comparable to the American concept of preschool or kindergarten.
- These ecoles are available to children from every social class through government-supported initiatives.
- The primary focus of these institutions is to educate and socialize children into contemporary French culture.
- Although enrollment in these programs is not obligatory, nearly every French child attends ecoles maternelles by the age of three.
- Cheque Emploi-Service Universel (Universal service employment check)
- This option is a government program established to
subsidize the cost of paid domestic help. They share responsibilities
with parents.
- Although
it is not as accessible for most levels of socioeconomic class, this
program provides an alternative, home-focused environment for childcare.
References:
- Morgan, Kimberly J. 2006. Working Mothers and the Welfare State: Religion and the Politics of Work-Family Policies in Western Europe and the United States. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press.
- Revillard, Anne. 2006. "Work/family Policy in France: From State Familialism to State Feminism?" International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family 20(2):133-150.
- Windebank, Jan. 2007. "Outsourcing Women's Domestic Labour: The Cheque Emploi-Service Universel in France." Journal of European Social Policy 17(3):257-270.
