Fewer children in Greece than in the rest of Europe attend kindergarten till the age of compulsory school attendance, according to a European Commission report, which highlights the importance of childcare services for the promotion of women employment.
According to Eurostat data for 2010 and 2011, published by the European Commission, within Europe 28% of children under the age of three attend daycare and a good 82% of children between the age of three and six years old, attend kindergartens or nursery schools.
The corresponding figures for Greece are among the lowest within the EU, as only 8% of children up to three years old attend daycare and nearly 64% between the age of three and six years old attend daycare or preschool.
Among other things, the Commission’s report concludes that Member States should intensify their efforts to improve childcare services if the EU is to meet its target and that is to increase employment rate to 75% by 2020.
“Member States should try harder if they want to achieve the target set to increase employment to 75%. The provision of childcare services should not be seen as a cost, but as an investment for the future. “
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