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What are the benefits and risks related to the feasibility of opening a crèche in Geneva?
- Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Childcare aims at providing a high-quality care of the children, allowing the parents to better reconcile professional and personal life. Childcare institutions are expected to choose their educational program in a manner that it helps the child to develop emotional, social, cognitive and physical skills. Theory proves that a high-quality childcare has a positive impact on the child’s educational and personal development. Switzerland is facing a severe crisis in the available places in crèches, and particularly in Geneva, where the shortage represented, in 2017, more than 3’000 places. The goal of this study is to explore, through 15 in-depth qualitative interviews with parents, crèche owners and directors, the public office that gives the authorizations and a multinational company, what are the reasons leading to this shortage. From a parental perspective, the process of obtaining a place is very long and frustrating, putting at stake the willingness on parenthood. The mothers sometimes are on the waiting list for more than 2 years, while being obliged to renew the request every 3-6 months. However, from the point of view of the crèches, this shortage is caused by the high restrictions imposed by the State and the extremely high financial charges, which are mainly salaries of the personnel and rent. A crèche welcoming daily 90 children must have an annual budget of approximately CHF 3’500’000. Considering the high operational costs, only 3-4 new crèches open every year in Geneva and most of them, if not all, are subsized by the Communes. The representative of the SASAJ, the office granting the authorizations, says that for a private crèche to be financially viable on the long-term, it needs to fix a monthly price of approximately CHF 3’700.- per child, on a full-time occupation basis. Different stakeholders interviewed agree that it is the responsibility of the Commune and companies to invest in childcare solutions for the wellbeing of its citizens and employees. Therefore, the representative of a multinational company is interviewed and questioned about the concept of an onsite company crèche, explains that this solution is not ideal for three main reasons: the significant operational costs and capital injection, the divergence from the core business and the distraction that having the children onsite would represent for employees. Instead, the interviewee affirms that having partnerships with different crèches, allows them to offer more places than having a crèche onsite. Finally, the study proposes a concept of a modulated company crèche that responds to the parents’ expectations in terms of offering, as for example the flexibility in opening hours and the flexibility, and that considers the theoretical aspects as well as the financial constraints implied in the management of a childcare institution.
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Accession number :
- edsair.od.......805..73c99203f646cddeaca0ff5f579a4040