Poskytování kvalitních služeb rané péče o děti
European Commission: Delivering quality services to early childhood care

Summary/Abstract: Childcare systems include reference to the labour market, parental leave and childcare policies. It is clear that some countries, including the Czech Republic, remain a long way from reaching recommended targets concerning childcare provision. The early childhood education and care system (ECEC) has two main functions: to help parents engage in the labour market and to promote the development of children. States often make the mistake of focusing on just one of these functions and fail to appreciate that the ECEC inevitably involves both parental employment and the development of children. The most effective approach to the ECEC consists of high-quality universal services and other forms of individual support. A high-quality, affordable ECEC system helps to reconcile work and family life and thus encourages both the participation of parents in the labour market and gender equality. Improving childcare may also help to combat the decline in fertility by reducing the cost of childbirth in the form of employment and career opportunities. The use of childcare services is influenced by the parental leave system and the availability, cost and quality of care itself. It appears that the provision of very long parental leave periods has resulted in a reduction in the uptake of childcare services in a number of countries.

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