Commission of Inquiry into Crèches describes system ‘exhausted’ in report

This text, adopted Monday, highlights the financial incentives to “welcome as many children as possible”. LFI vice-president William Martine published a counter-report, which calls into question the opening of the sector to the private sector.

“Kafkaesque complexity, chronic underfunding, dissatisfaction of users and staff, multiplication of exemptions…” The Commission of Inquiry of the National Assembly on crèches describes a system “breathless”whether in the public or private sector, in its report adopted Monday May 27. “It is the economic model and the operating rules of crèches which have contributed to establishing a vicious circle of failure”detailed Renaissance MP Sarah Tanzilli, rapporteur of the text.

After the publication in September of two investigative books questioning private daycare centers, The price of the cradle And Babyzness, LFI obtained in November, against the advice of the LR and Renaissance groups, the creation of this commission responsible for investigating the economic model of crèches and the quality of care for young children. LFI vice-president William Martine has also published a counter-report.

The public authorities have focused on the quantity of places rather than the quality of reception, according to Sarah Tanzilli. “The work demonstrated that the failures identified were not the consequence of the opening of the crèche sector to the private sector or the influence of investment funds.” A “vicious circle of failure” was established, she continues, and faced with a lack of personnel, the public authorities “reduced supervision rates”.

The funding encourages “welcome as many children as possible” in a manger. This degrades working conditions and pushes professionals to leave the profession. With ultimately fewer cradles: 10,000 places are “jellies” in France due to lack of personnel, explains MP Renaissance. According to her, problems linked to the quality of reception are observed everywhere, in the private sector (a quarter of the approximately 500,000 places) as well as in the public (half) or the associative (a quarter).

For William Martinet on the contrary, “the work demonstrated the harmful effects of lucrative private daycare centers” : 93% of the 26 administrative closures of nurseries in 2023 took place with lucrative private managers, he explained to the press.

The report recommends reducing the supervision rate to one adult for five children (one for six currently) by 2027, and one for four by 2032. “Beautiful promises without means to increase salaries and therefore which will never see the light of day”, squeaks LFI deputy William Martinet. Going from one adult for six children to one for five is equivalent to 25,000 additional professionals, at a cost of one billion euros per year, or to closing 70,000 places, explains Elsa Hervy, general delegate of the French Federation of daycare companies.