The extension of care services for children younger than three is absolutely necessary and should be a priority. This desideratum can be achieved by the consolidated effort of the authorities, the development partners and the business community, it was noted in the event to launch the study of the economic impact of institutionalization of child care services, which was staged by the Parliament’s commission on social protection, health and family in partnership with UN Women, UNICEF and UNFPA, IPN reports.
Among the main challenges identified during the conducted interviews are the lack of cooperation and joint commitment at the institutions that provide this early education service and the absence of information about the number of children enrolled at private institutions. This way, the number of institutionalized children can be underestimated.
Adriana Cazacu, secretary of state at the Ministry of Education and Research, said the early education sector is very important for the educational system and measures should be taken to increase the number of care services intended for children younger than three.
“The children under three develop the most and the fastest. We do not refer only to their physical, biological development, but also to their mental, psychical development. Pedagogy studies show that the institutionalization of children during the first years of life is very important as the development of the child depends a lot on the environment in which they are. But not all the parents or families can offer the most favorable environment needed for development, which would be appropriate for a child younger than three. The care services for children younger than three should be extended and this can be done with the assistance of the development partners and the business community,” stated Adriana Cazacu.
Otilia Dandara, vice-rector of the Moldova State University – the first higher educational establishment that supported the organization of a polyvalent, child-friendly center for children younger than one and a space for caring for children younger than three at universities - said that the human resources are the most important resources for their institution, which, besides the academic mission, also has the social mission of strengthening values. “The university as a public institution needs to be an example, a model for other institutions. The USM students in fulltime education have 70 children younger than three, while the university’s employees have 95 children under three,” said Otilia Dandara, noting that this polyvalent center will stimulate their female lecturers to return to work earlier.
The president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergiu Harea said that labor productivity in Moldova is one of the lowest in the region. If they invest in labor productivity, including in family-friendly policies, labor productivity will be higher and the state will be economically stronger. “Given the aforementioned, within the contest Trademark of the Year, together with UNFPA, we launched a new nomination – Trademark with family-friendly policies. Only two-three companies enrolled initially. Last year, we had ten companies and six of them were declared winners for implementing family-friendly policies,” stated Sergiu Harea.
The authors of the study recommended extending the early education services and implementing family-friendly policies in the public and private sectors, enhancing governance and transparency as regards the available options and improving the quality and access to child care services.
