Delphine Schiltz, edited by Loane Nader // photo credit: Thomas SAMSON / AFP 14:46 pm, June 01, 2023

This is the anxiety of all new parents: not finding a place in a nursery for their baby. The early childhood sector is severely understaffed and parents and children alike are suffering. This Thursday, the Prime Minister announced the budget given by the government to create a public service of early childhood, as promised by Emmanuel Macron.

Places in nurseries are becoming scarce and represent many headaches for new parents. Where to keep your baby when each of them is at work and there is a shortage of staff in the facilities provided for this purpose? This is precisely the problem that Emmanuel Macron promised to tackle during his last campaign. And something promised, something due: Elisabeth Borne draws this Thursday the contours of this public service of early childhood, announcing an envelope of 5 billion euros.

100,000 additional places by 2027

This envelope will therefore be used to finance 100,000 additional crèche places by 2027 and double that by 2030. A significant effort for Elsa Hervy, general delegate of the French Federation of Crèche Companies, but which does not solve the fundamental problem, that is to say the shortage of staff. "We are waiting that, in addition to the 200,000 new places for families, there will also be announcements in terms of the number of places open in training schools. In the last ten years, crèche places have been increased by 30% and the number of training places by only 7% is insufficient," she said.

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"10,000 crèches do not welcome children"

A situation that cannot be fixed if the state does not invest more in more labor. "Today, we have 468,000 existing crèche places. There are 10,000 who do not welcome children because we lack professionals," said Elsa Hervy.

Another planned announcement is that of increasing aid from the Family Allowances Fund (CAF) for parents who employ a childminder to look after their children. The goal is that this solution does not cost more than a nursery, which could relieve those who do not live in the city.

The last issue to be resolved is the improvement of the quality of reception. A damning report by the Igas had pointed to facts of abuse last April in some nurseries, controls could thus be strengthened.