The government is exploring extending free childcare for children under three to night-time hours to cater for shift workers.

The very thought of babies and toddlers sleeping anywhere other than in their own home, regularly, can be unacceptable to some.

But to those who need to work nights, and cannot because of the children, this service would be a massive sigh of relief and a weight off their shoulders.

Many jobs require staff to work nights. Shift workers range from nurses and hospital emergency staff to restaurant and bar staff, air stewards and pilots, taxi and bus drivers and so much more.

Until today, the parents among these workers rely on their partners, other relatives, such as grandparents, or they employ a nanny to take over when they are at work. Others, however, must give up on income because they do not have anyone to keep their children and cannot afford to pay a nanny. By offering night-time childcare, the government would be plugging a gap. 

The Foundation for Educational Services has issued a tender for a preliminary market consultation.

The idea is to first understand if procurement of childcare services – during weekdays between 6pm and 6am and on a 24-hour basis on weekends and public holidays – is feasible.

Currently, the free childcare scheme, managed by Jobsplus, offers up to 200 hours monthly to all working parents, redeemable at both State and private childcare centres.

Free childcare is available from three months to three years, with State-owned centres operating between 6am and 6pm or 7.30am to 4pm. Private centres have varied hours.

So, the questions arise: will there be a capping on how many hours a month a child can use night childcare (as there is for daytime childcare)? How will this capping be worked out as it would need to factor in resting time for the parent who would have worked all night? And what happens after the child turns three? Where would a parent who works at night leave their four-year-old?

The initiative makes sense if seen from the perspective of supporting working parents who have no choice but to leave their home and work unconventional hours for the benefit of their children.

By alleviating childcare costs, night-time childcare enables parents to maintain employment, contributing to their household income and reducing the risk of financial instability.

State-subsidised childcare also ensures that children are in a safe, nurturing environment at night, which can be crucial for their emotional and physical well-being, especially in homes where other forms of care are not available.

But there is a lot of thinking to be done. As former president Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said on several occasions, we must ensure we do not turn childcare centres into nurseries.

Having children in school from breakfast club to after-school hours, as both parents work means they grow up predominantly in a school environment.

Putting these children in care at night could also rob them of those precious pillow-talk moments with their parents.

There are other options worth discussing, include allowing night staff to work from home, if possible, or having regulated spaces for children on the job.

To achieve the right balance, everyone must be on board in this discussion: parents, employers and policymakers.