PCPCollective responsibility for children
Care cannot be judged only as a way to increase parents’ working hours. It is a setting for living, learning and relationships. Pedagogy, premises, rest and support must be assessed through children’s needs and rhythms.
Families need reliable choices, rather than shortages determining the outcome. The Vaud framework presented by SCAJE shows public responsibility for authorisation and quality. It should also cover sufficient and affordable provision.
Plan places that are genuinely available
The PCP calls for joint assessment by competent authorities, separating ages, locations, days and times. Capacity announcements must specify what can be used, staffing and opening dates. Authorised rooms are not yet an open place.
Planning should connect preschool, school, holidays and travel. Needs do not end at compulsory-school entry. Transitions and siblings attending different locations require preparation. Provision should reduce constraints rather than transfer their management to households.
Reduce costs without reducing quality
The PCP supports progress towards free publicly funded childcare, with democratically agreed timing and resources. During transition, contributions should reflect resources and avoid thresholds. A small income rise must not trigger a disproportionate charge.
Tariff reductions must be financed before announcement. Larger groups, lower qualifications or greater staff pressure cannot fund them. Family contributions and actual costs should be presented together, showing who covers the difference.
Give educational occupations a future
Quality needs qualified people, preparation time and stable teams. The PCP calls for recognised pay, sufficient cover and paid training. Managers need time for pedagogy and coordination, rather than only handling absences.
Training pathways should permit entry and retention. Skills must be recognised against clear requirements. Staffing cuts can produce exhaustion, departures and broken relationships. Budgets should include continuity as a service obligation.
Make access understandable
Applications should identify needs without contradictory procedures. The PCP calls for public criteria, waiting-time information and an answer when suitable care is unavailable. Changes should be simple to report.
Children with particular needs should be included with appropriate support. Families need contacts and review routes. Data must be protected across exchanges. An automated answer is insufficient where everyday organisation or access is at stake.
Assess continuity and equality
Evaluation should show used days, unmet requests, waits and costs after assistance. It should cover team stability, absence and care conditions. National totals cannot replace examination of an underserved area.
Families and professionals should participate. Findings must inform corrections to funding, organisation or provision. The PCP calls for follow-up through to actual access, rather than counting an announcement as a result.
The PCP’s commitment
The PCP supports strong services and shared care. It calls for public planning, financed tariff reduction and recognition of educational work. These objectives must advance together without sacrificing one to display another.
Families need a lasting solution, professionals need healthy conditions respecting qualification, and children need attentive, stable care. The Party calls for public childcare policy to be judged against those outcomes.
Documents and sources
The cited documents provide the facts and provisions examined. Political judgments and proposals expressed in this article are those of the PCP.