Today’s report on efforts to establish a sustainable funding structure for the Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector and safety net afterschool activities in St. Maarten should not go unnoticed. They could prove more significant to society than many may realise.
A recent survey on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis held in 24 Latin America and Caribbean countries by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Bank (see Wednesday paper) showed that, certainly when it comes to employment, mothers with 0- to 5-year-olds have been among the hardest hit. Forty per cent of these working women 18 and older lost their pre-pandemic job.
Females in general were twice as likely to be left unemployed due to the pandemic.
“This situation is exacerbated by an increase in women’s household responsibilities, including the supervision of children in remote education, and a higher incidence of mental health problems,” it was stated in the related article.
While kids must legally be in school by the age of four on the Dutch side, early education for younger ones is less regulated and left to private sector initiative starting with day care. Since the organisations involved often don’t receive consistent government subsidy as do regular education school boards, their service tends to be relatively costly especially when people have a smaller income than before.
A system not to replace these existing facilities but instead give them stable financial assistance and guidance is being developed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (EYCS) in cooperation with UNICEF Netherlands. As part of the Child Resilience and Protection Project (CRPP) executed with means from the Dutch-sponsored Trust Fund, it could greatly improve the position of recent mothers on the labour market, by offering them more affordable options where their toddlers can safely go at least part of the day and be provided with standardised quality learning experiences.
