In Place Massena, around twenty early childhood educators and childcare workers gathered to protest the glaring understaffing between the number of children and the adults assigned to care for them in nurseries or daycare centers. A concerning situation.
Young children, those under seven years of age, need a lot of attention and availability to grow peacefully, experience the world, and become autonomous, fulfilled adults. The purpose of this demonstration is simply to maintain the standard of children’s education. Today, changes are needed, to alert parents but also higher authorities, as the situation is becoming critical and dangerous. “We fear not being able to ensure the best availability for your children tomorrow and not meeting your expectations,” states a document titled “Letter to Parents,” handed out to passersby curious about the various banners displayed.
The staffing shortage issue is at the heart of the problems. Six children for only one educator is unsustainable: “This is strictly impossible because we find ourselves with six children per adult, and in reality, there are too many risks, whether it be bites or even choking incidents,” explains Laure Louvin, an educator at a nursery. As the group protests in Place Massena, the educator believes it is important to take to the streets: “We are increasingly taking to the streets, but not for us, for the children.”
The French State called out
A financial problem also hovers over early childhood education, with a lack of mobility spaces. This afternoon, the “early childhood” policy fuels conversations, a policy initially handled by the State that is far from meeting the educational staff’s expectations. “Mr. Macron decided to proceed by ordinances to act more quickly, but when he tried to implement it, it was already too late. Now we are dealing with public service law, but the quality criteria are not being considered, so one thing is certain: no babies, no orders,” insists Corinne Chaillan, an early childhood educator at the departmental service.
The ordinances do not favor children’s development, and the “early childhood” policy is at a standstill. Several wishes from educators and childcare workers include the need for individualized interaction time with children or having the appropriate qualifications. The collective “No Babies in Storage” addressed twenty proposals to the government and launched an appeal-petition for an awaited reform.
