In France, starting in September 2014, preschool and elementary school students will be subject to new school schedules. This upcoming organization, initiated by the Ministry of Education, is described as being more beneficial.
According to the Ministry of Education, fundamental learning should take place in the morning when students are more attentive and receptive. Consequently, they will have five mornings of classes instead of four. The new school timetable for children will be as follows: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Nevertheless, this decision is provoking significant controversy as it is contested by some working parents. How can work schedules and the new school plan be reconciled? Beneficial reform or not, the question parents currently face is how to pay for babysitting expenses?
According to a report published by Yoopies (https://yoopies.fr), the leading babysitting platform in Europe, all French departments have been affected by an increase in the average net hourly rates for childcare. The highest increase was recorded in departments that adopted the school rhythm reform as early as 2013, amounting to a 6.1% increase compared to 3.5% in other departments. This rate reaches 8.98 euros per hour in the Ile-de-France region.
In the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region, parents will need to spend 8.61 euros per hour for their children’s care. This price adjustment according to the growing demand impacts the wallets of parents.
If this study is to be believed, the inflation of babysitting rates seems to be directly linked to the school rhythm reform.
The general implementation of this reform in 2014 is likely to increase childcare needs and generalize the rise in babysitting rates,” indicates Benjamin Suchar, co-founder of Yoopies.
