MCWO welcomes free childcare initiative, calls for more regulation

The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations (MCWO) welcomed the Government’s plans for free childcare centres as from April 1, 2014.

The free childcare initiative will be offered to all working parents and those still studying who wish to send their children to any public or private quality childcare centre.

“Research has been showing that the lack of quality and affordable childcare is one factor that affects maternal employment. For this reason the MCWO has been lobbying for such an initiative for years and was pleased that the last Budget 2014 had focused on increasing female participation through free childcare and the broadening and strengthening the after-school services,” MCWO chairperson Lorraine Spiteri said.

Spiteri said the MCWO believed this initiative would directly improve the quality of life of families, especially single parent households.

“It is also a measure towards better work-life balance for both parents and with an expected more paternal involvement which helps towards a stronger and lasting relationship between fathers and children. Furthermore this should also affect Malta’s demography which is currently declining rapidly and has reached below the EU average.”

The MCWO noted that the increase of more quality childcare centres also means more supply of jobs within the childcare sector, and better awareness on the benefits of early childhood education of children, especially for those coming from a deprived social background. However the Confederation urged the government to enact legislation to regulate childcare centres which till now are still unregulated.