Annexes to COM(2013)322 - Barcelona objectives The development of childcare facilities for young children in Europe with a view to sustainable and inclusive growth - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2013)322 - Barcelona objectives The development of childcare facilities for young children in Europe with a view to sustainable and ... |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2013)322  |
| date | May 29, 2013 |
There is a similar action to cofinance projects related to pre-school education for children aged between 3 and 5 years with a budget of EUR 369 million.
The Commission continues to work with social partners…
…who play a key role in the area of work-life balance in cooperation with the public authorities.
The Commission will also strengthen cooperation between its departments…
…working on policies relevant to ECEC (such as justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, education and culture, employment, social policy, health, etc.).
The Commission will continue to monitor the Barcelona objectives…
…by helping the Member States to develop their statistical capacity by improving data collection and refining the way the use of childcare services is measured for the EU SILC survey, in particular by collecting comparable information on the barriers to these services (cost, unmet demand, etc.).
The Commission will continue to support the Member States
· Whenever necessary throughout the European Semesters the Commission will continue to adopt specific recommendations calling on the Member States to achieve the Barcelona objectives and to maintain public investment despite the economic crisis.
· When programming the European Funds, the Commission will work together with the Member States to make full use of the cofinancing options offered by the Structural Funds and other Community programmes such as 'Erasmus for all', including during the next programming period, for developing ECEC services and services for other dependent people, staff training and improving service quality.
Developing childcare services for pre-school children is not enough in itself to give women and men free choice of how to best achieve a work-life balance and it does not take into account the difficulties faced at different stages in life. The Commission must therefore act:
· by promoting a combination of measures to achieve a work-life balance consisting of flexible working methods, a family leave system and the availability of affordable, quality care services for pre-school children as well as for pre-adolescent children outside school hours and for other dependants;
· by also encouraging the Member States to remove barriers (including tax constraints) to occupational activity for women and to encourage fathers to take on more family responsibilities, for example by taking family leave in the same way as women.
This report reflects the Commission's own commitment, within the limits of its competences, to supporting the achievement of the Barcelona objectives and the development of affordable, accessible and quality childcare services in order to eliminate the obstacles to parents' participation in employment, to foster social inclusion and to promote equality of opportunity between women and men.
[1] In this report, the terms ‘childcare services’, childcare facilities’ and ‘early childhood education and care (ECEC)’ are used interchangeably.
[2] http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/71025.pdf
[3] COM(2010) 2020.
[4] COM(2013) 83.
[5] 2011/C 155/02.
[6] COM(2010) 491.
[7] COM(2012) 614.
[8] Between 1998 and 2008, the number of women (aged between 20 and 64) in employment rose by 7.2 percentage points compared with 2.4 percentage points for men.
[9] OECD (2012) ‘Closing the Gender Gap: Act Now’.
[10] COM(2013) 778.
[11] COM(2011) 66.
[12] COM(2011) 18.
[13] 2011/C 191/01.
[14] Eurostat, 2011 tsdsc340.
[15] OECD (2012) ‘Closing the Gender Gap: Act Now’.
[16] COM(2012) 615.
[17] COM(2008) 638.
[18] This measures the proportion of children cared for by formal services such as those listed in the introduction.
[19] EU25, in 2011 the childcare rate was 30% on average in the EU 25 and 27.
[20] Compulsory school age is 4, 5, 6, or 7 depending on the Member State.
[21] EU25. In 2011 the childcare rate was 86% on average in the EU 25 and 27.
[22] Ministry of Equal Opportunities, 2011.
[23] This means childcare by a childminder (who is not checked by an organised structure) at the child’s home or that of the childminder, or childminding by grandparents, other members of the family (other than the parents), other parents, friends or neighbours.
[24] OECD (2012) Starting strong III.
[25] Source : LFS ad-hoc module 2010 Reconciliation between work and family life – 23% and 18% of mothers whose youngest child is under 3 or between 3 and compulsory school age respectively work part time or do not work for reasons related to childcare.
[26] EU-SILC, 2010.
[27] Eurofound 3rd EQLS 2012.
[28] COM(2011) 66.
[29] 2011/C 175/03.
[30] EGGE 2009.
[31] SWD(2012) 373.
[32] International Standard Classification of Education, level 5.
[33] CORE study for EC/DG EAC2011.
[34] Eurofound 2012.
[35] CORE study for EC/DG EAC2011.
[36] As opposed to the specialist approach where practitioners are trained and qualified to work with specific age groups in certain types of establishment (e.g. day nursery, pre-school). CORE study for EC/DG EAC2011.
[37] OECD 2011 Doing Better for Families.
[38] European Commission Childcare Network 1996 – Quality targets in services for young children.
[39] Kaga Y., Bennett J. and Moss P. (2010), Caring and Learning Together, A Cross-national Study of Integration of Early Childhood Care and Education within Education, Paris, UNESCO.
[40] Eurydice 2009 – ECEC: Tackling social and cultural inequalities.
[41] COM(2011) 66.
[42] OCDE Starting Strong II: Early Childhood Education and Care.
[43] Council conclusions on ECEC. 2011/C 175/03.
[44] COM(2012) 750.
[45] By the end of 2011, 74% of this budget had been allocated to selected projects.