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In most countries, women continue leaving college, jobs, or have reduced their working hours after childbirth. Thus, enhancing childcare provision is a major way of promoting maternal education and employment. Therefore, policymakers in many states have recommended the expansion of the coverage on this policy by either making it free or subsidizing its prices to encourage maternal mothers to return to work or college (Brewer et al., 2021). The study’s research question is, does free childcare enable parents to get back to work and college at ease? The importance of this topic is to ascertain why policymakers should promote free childcare to promote literacy levels and employment rates in society. The study is unique in that it assesses the impact of free childcare in aiding parents to get back to college and work, unlike existing literature that focuses on parental return to work only. This will be achieved by providing thorough background research of the topic, methodologies used in past research, the societal implication of the study, and the conclusion.
Background
Past research has been conducted in childcare by assessing its effect on education, unemployment rate, and child development. Past studies have confirmed the importance of childcare in a child’s growth since it is the initial phase of education system of a child. A child that misses childcare may encounter growth delays such as language development. Thus, access to free childcare boosts a child’s educational success. For instance, low-income families struggle with low earnings and limited resources to have their children join kindergartens, which makes them prone to education disparities before joining kindergarten.
Increased public childcare provision promotes the employment of mothers. Policymakers support this idea by arguing that money invested in free childcare is well-spent since it improves the human capital growth of playschool kids and boosts the female labor supply (Busse & Gathmann, 2018). Hence, free childcare policy is key to boosting the female labor force that promotes economic self-sufficiency, especially to economically disadvantaged families.
The high cost of childcare is a burden to most parents to discourage others from having children. The pivotal effect of childcare puts parents into a dilemma of incurring these costs or staying at home as the caregiver. Parents of young kids are younger and fresh in their careers, implying that they earn less. Besides, only a small percentage of parents focus on childcare costs of their children compared to the way they focus on college education. Therefore, their access to free childcare is monumental as it frees them from the financial stress associated with providing care to the young ones.
Numerous studies have highlighted that implementing a free childcare policy promotes social inequalities. For instance, Zoch (2020) opines that free childcare favors well-off families more than disadvantaged ones. The author further argues that less-educated parents have limited access to formal childcare. Besides, access criteria to such childcare centers will favor highly educated women who work more hours than their counterparts, leading to inequality. Both Hoskins et al. (2021) Zocha (2020) add that the free childcare policy aids children who least need it. This widens the existing social inequalities in contrast with the aims of the policy. Little research has been done on the way free childcare assists parents to go back to school or work, which is this study’s major focus.
Methodologies
Most of the studies on the effect of free childcare on maternal labor supply exploited quantitative methods. Most studies used government data on childcare coverage and mothers’ daily activities for ten years (Ruppaner et al., 2019). Using such data was effective since it allowed them to filter the data according to their desired criteria and acquire their ideal sample size. Past research demonstrates that childcare take-up is not randomly done; rather, it is based on personal and household characteristics, as indicated by the data (Zoch, 2020). Although most of the past literature focused on quantitative data across a big sample size, the current study will utilize mixed methods. The researcher will carry out quantitative analysis and qualitative one to understand the different views and experiences of participants regarding the efficiency of free childcare.
Societal Implications
It is important to assess the impact of free childcare provision on parents’ willingness to return to work or college. The current study is exceptional since it evaluates the societal and economic impact of promoting free childcare policy. The study also highlights the positive and negative impact of free childcare policy, from elevating the disadvantaged population to widening the gap between the well-off and economically challenged families. The research will inform existing research on the single parent’s readiness to go back to college. Lastly, the study will ascertain various techniques of promoting free childcare and controlling the existing hindrances of this policy.
The current research confirms that free childcare promotes women to return to work and college at ease, as confirmed in the existing literature. The study identifies the loopholes of this policy by pinpointing its drawbacks, such as promoting social inequalities. This follows a current trend where this policy benefits parents from well-off families. Thus, the study aims to set criteria that make the policy accessible to economically challenged individuals. This will ensure that young and unstable families get a chance to continue with college or get back to their job as a way of addressing the rising unemployment rate.
Conclusion
The current study promotes free childcare to enable maternal mothers to return to work or college. It is paramount to evaluate how free childcare policy can elevate the disadvantaged population by having them take their children to childcare at a tender age. Similarly, the policy lays a platform for promoting a rigid education system that boosts a child’s growth. Nevertheless, policymakers should be on the lookout for the efficiency of this policy in promoting social equality.
References
Brewer, M., Cattan, S., Crawford, C., & Rabe, B. (2021). Does more free childcare help parents work more? Labour Economics, 102100.
Busse, A., & Gathmann, C. (2018). Free daycare and its effects on children and their families. Web.
Hoskins, K., Bradbury, A., & Fogarty, L. (2021). A frontline service? Nursery Schools as local community hubs in an era of austerity. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 19(3), 355-368.
Ruppanner, L., Moller, S., & Sayer, L. (2019). Expensive childcare and short school days= lower maternal employment and more time in childcare? Evidence from the American time use survey. Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 5, 1-14.
Zoch, G. (2020). Public childcare provision and employment participation of East and West German mothers with different educational backgrounds. Journal of European Social Policy, 30(3), 370-385.
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