In this hectic world, home and daycareshould be collaborators, not competitors.
But in many places of the Western world, inadequate access to it creates significant barriers for any parent who hopes to participate in the workforce or access training that can advance their careers.
In the US, for example, as many as100,000Americans have been forced to stay home from work each month because of childcare issues, and the economic toll now amounts to$122 billioneach year in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.
So if the federal government wishes to continue investing in emerging sectors like clean energy and semiconductors, it might be in its best interest to look after the people who can and want to contribute to these industries instead of being forced to stay on the sidelines.
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This Nordic mom of 3 boys recently shared a video of what Finnish daycares look like, and Westerners are in awe
Image credits:scandimomsecrets
“Want to see what a Finnish daycare looks like? Here, kids are encouraged to be independent and their educators are not called teachers but ‘specialists in early childhood upbringing’.”
“Their focus is learning through play. They all have these little beds in which they take naps, as kids go to daycare from the age of around 1 until 6.”
“There’s a dining room and they are provided warm, healthy meals and snacks every day. They eat together at these little tables.”
“They also do art, music and crafts. The kids get potty trained at daycare as they are ready and they have these little toilets and sinks.”
“The kids spend hours outside every day, and inside they’re also encouraged to move around in the playrooms. Daycare is considered every parent’s and child’s right, and at maximum costs $325 a month with a bit more for private daycare.”
“I loved our time at this daycare in Helsinki called Engel and I felt like with the daycare educators, I really found a village who helped me raise my child. Would you leave your kids here?”
For Finnish parents, it’s important to raise children to be independent,” Annabella toldBored Panda. “That doesn’t mean that you take less care of them; it’s just that you provide them more opportunities to develop self-efficacy so that they can learn to trust themselves and their capabilities.”
Annabella said Finns raise their kids trying to help them find out what makes them happy.
“Success is not necessarily about achievements, top grades, or financial well-being,” the mother said. “Rather, it’s about contentment. In the US, success is very much tied to money, accolades, and top grades. Relaxed, fun play is not really on the list! In the US, a child’s success is sort of a reflection of you as a parent.”
Annabella’s video has since gone viral
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The parental leave in Finlandlastsfor 320 working days, which is approximately 14 months. If the child has two parents, both of them are entitled to 160 working days of leave leave. (Additionally, one parent may give up to 63 parental leave days to the other one.)
Once their right to parental leave has ended, parents can choose either municipal or private daycare for their child or child home care allowance.
The official name fordaycare in Finland is early childhood education and care (ECEC). It’s part of the Finnish education system, and together with pre-primary education and basic education form a whole that progresses consistently in relation to the child’s development and learning. All children under school age are entitled to ECEC even if one or both parents are at home.
Municipal daycare in Finland
Image credits:Pixabay (not the actual photo)
Finnish municipalities run daycare centres, group family daycare and family daycare for children aged 0–6 years. Parents have to apply for a place in municipal daycare four months before it starts and can get a place in two weeks if they get a job or start studying.
The fee charged for municipal daycare isn’t fixed; it depends on the family’s income, size and the number of hours per week the child spends in early childhood education and care.
Private Finnish daycare
Image credits:cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Private daycare centres and group family daycare centres in the country also work with children aged 0–6 years. To get a place here, parents apply directly to a facility of their choice but can also look for a private family caregiver to look after their child in their home, or hire a caregiver in their own home.
The price for private daycare varies more. However, there are ways parents can get an allowance for the fees from the Social Insurance Institution (Kela), meaning that in some cases private daycare isn’t that much more expensive than municipal daycare. (However, if you pay for a caregiver in your home, you become an employer, and you must fulfil an employer’s obligations.)
All of this seems to be working. One of the world’s most generous and successful welfare states, Finland has alower infant mortality rate,better school scores, and alower poverty ratethan the United States. On top of that, itranksas the happiest country on Earth.
And the people who watched it had a lot to say
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