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Thu, 12 Jun, 2014 12:05:25 AM
FTimes-STT Report, June 12

More day-care facilities will be needed in the future, if the bill on homecare support goes through, according to the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities.

This is because it is estimated by the association that the number of children will grow in 2016.

Currently the number of children in day-cares, both private and those arranged by the municipalities, is about 230,000, which is almost 65 per cent of all the day-care-aged children.

The law, if passed, is expected to take effect as from August 2015 and its outcome is thus expected to be realised a year later, according to Jarkko Lahtinen, an early childhood education specialist from the association.

“The number of children under the age of 3 will probably increase,” said Lahtinen.

Currently, a family with a child under the age of 3 can apply for child homecare support, if the day-care service for the child has not been arranged by the municipality.

The change in legislation will however distribute the child homecare support to both parents.

In practice, this means that a single parent can in the future take care of a child at home for a shorter period of time. Afterwards, it becomes the other parent’s turn to take care of the child or a day-care place should be sought for the child.

The change which the legislation will bring has not been carefully prepared for, according to Kirsi Alila from the Ministry of Education and Culture.

“The municipalities will later start thinking on how day-care should be arranged,” said Alila.

According to a recent survey conducted by the association, only 123 out of the 288 municipalities that responded paid for child homecare which is arranged privately.

 

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