Independent childcare fears massive loss of childcare places | Inland

taketonews

In independent childcare in Flanders, many childcare places are in danger of being lost in the coming two years. That is what UnieKO Signal, the professional association for independent family and group care in Flanders and Brussels, says, based on its own survey. The main reasons for quitting are age, high workload, complex regulations and meager pay.

A prognosis from Kind & Gezin from 2019 showed that by 2024, 7,000 extra childcare places will be needed. According to former Minister of Welfare Wouter Beke and his successor Hilde Crevits, the intention is to fill those 7,000 places. There are budgets for this.

But a survey by the professional organization UnieKO signal, conducted between 20 and 25 June, shows that many childcare initiatives are also thinking of stopping. The organization sent an online survey to 1,500 initiatives. A quarter of those initiatives completed the survey.

Results

The results show that 2,276 are at risk of disappearing within five years, of which 1,304 within two years. In addition, there are still 1,781 places hanging by a thread. In those cases, either a “structural improvement” must come from the policy or a buyer must be found.

The survey also shows that half of the respondents indicate that they work without a financial reserve and one in ten indicate that they are in financial difficulties.

UnieKO Signal also asked the organizers about the parents’ confidence in childcare. Do the organizers have the impression that the confidence of the parents has been damaged by the crisis stories of recent months, for example the drama in ‘t Sloeberhuisje?

To trust

According to the organizers, the confidence of the parents has largely remained. “That’s encouraging,” it sounds. “The feedback says that parents have mainly maintained confidence in childcare, but that new parents come to childcare with a greater dose of skepticism,” the survey said.

Especially with the larger group reception initiatives (with more than 18 places), the organizers notice that trust has decreased (25 percent) or that there is downright mistrust (8 percent).

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