A study carried out by Expert-Grup and UNICEF recommends the authorities to develop state and private nurseries for younger children, saying the early education reform covering children aged between 1.5 and 3 is fundamental for enabling the parents to work, IPN reports.

“A family that works generates incomes. Day care centers are needed to make sure that the families can earn enough money to raise the children,” said study author Constanta Popescu.

There are not many crèches in Moldova at present. In the municipality of Chisinau, only about 50 children aged one year and a half attend private day care centers and practically as many attend state day care centers. In the 1990s, the state crèches offered places from the age of nine months. The age rose gradually over the last 20 years. Last year, the Ministry of Education ordered that the kindergartens should accept children from the age of 3, arguing that there are not enough places.

Nobody wants to set up private nurseries as there are multiple exaggerated barriers that include possession of a building for providing such services, excessive norms concerning the available areas, sanitary requirements, etc.

The study says that the parental leave in Moldova is one of the longest. One of the parents receives money for caring for the child up to the age of 3 and can take another unpaid leave for a period of three years. But the leave is paid much worse than in many EU member states, representing only 30% of the parent’s salary, as against 85% in Romania, in the first year, and 100% in Lithuania.

According to experts, the public investment in re-opening day care centers at state kindergartens will be recouped quickly by the swifter return of mothers to work and, thus, by larger social contributions to the budget, higher incomes in the families and greater possibilities of investing in the human capital of children.

The study recommends using the reserve funds of the local public authorities to test the ideas in 2015. Afterward, based on the confirmation of costs and appropriate planning, in 2016 financing can be allocated on the basis of special programs to develop nurseries.