Government should discuss childcare rules with concerned operators, parents: PN
Childcare rules are pushing parents to send in sick kids, petition says
The PN on Friday urged the government to start a discussion with childcare centre operators and parents over concerns that those who keep sick children at home will be financially penalised.
The government scheme provides free childcare services to working or studying parents, as a way to help families achieve a work-life balance.
Each child is entitled to miss 25 per cent of their booked childcare hours per month. If they miss more than that, including for certified medical absence, the parents will have to pay the difference to the childcare centre.
For years, parents have complained that such young children usually miss out on more than 25 per cent of their booked hours as they are constantly getting sick.
A centre operator has now launched a petition, warning that the current rules are forcing infectious children into centres and putting other children and staff at risk of illness.
By Friday at noon, the petition had garnered nearly 1,200 signatures.
On Friday, the Opposition called on the government to start a dialogue with stakeholders with a view to reviewing the current framework and protect children’s health, support working families and safeguard the long-term sustainability of the free childcare scheme.
The concerns, it added, deserved serious attention and must be addressed without delay.
The party added that the free childcare scheme was an important social policy that enabled many parents, particularly mothers, to participate in the labour market while providing vital support to families. It was therefore essential to safeguard both the sustainability and the fairness of this scheme, it added.
"However, no parent should feel penalised for acting responsibly by keeping their child at home when they are genuinely unwell. Young children will inevitably become ill, and public policy should encourage responsible health decisions rather than discourage them.
"Protecting public health requires measures that prevent the spread of illness. In childcare centres, this means avoiding the transmission of illness to other children and to staff. When centres do not have enough employees available, this can also affect the number of children they are able to accommodate while continuing to comply with the required carer-to-child ratios."
The party acknowledged the petition's practical proposals, including whether absences certified by a doctor should be treated differently from other absences.
At the same time, any changes should be accompanied by appropriate safeguards to prevent abuse and ensure that public funds continue to be used responsibly, the PN said.
The statement was signed by shadow ministers for education and social policy Jerome Caruana Cilia and Ivan Bartolo, and spokesperson for children's policy Norma Camilleri.