A discreet pillar of early childhood
In France, almost 800,000 children are welcomed by children, much more than in kindergartens. This individual method, individual but supervised by maternal and child protection services (SMEs), is the first appeal for many parents. However, he suffers from a paradox: It is essential for the functioning of families and society, but remains largely underestimated.
Maternal assistants Often they work alone, at home, with amplitude sometimes very long. Their remuneration is modest and their still fragile status. As a result, the profession is struggling to recruit. “We are essential, but invisible” summarizes a professional quoted by the Igas relationship.
The urgency of a revaluation
To reverse the trend, the report insists on a central point: improve working conditions and remuneration. The idea would be to gradually align the salaries of maternal assistants with those of ship professionals. Because if the responsibilities are comparable (welcome, feed, awakenings and safe children), the gap of the treatment remains evident.
Another track: strengthen social protection. Today they testify to many maternal assistantsPersistent precariousness in case of illness, unemployment or retirement. The relationship requires a more protective state, in order to preserve those who already exercise and make the profession attractive for the new candidates.
The quality of welcome to the center of the debate
But the creation of several welcome places cannot be performed at any cost. The Igas relationship is clear: The urgency should not crush the requirement. Train more, it supports better, simplifies without weakening: this is the proposed triptych.
Concretely, this means maintaining a solid initial formation, but also Offer real possibilities for continuous training. The welcome of young children evolves quickly: awakening, language, inclusion of disability, first learning … the maternal school assistants must be supported to adapt.
Below he underlines the IgA The interest of maternal assistants (Mam), these places where several professionals join together to work together. This model breaks isolation and allows you to fill the skills, offering children a stimulating environment.
A job to make more visible
Another problem: symbolic recognition. Few people really know what the daily life of a maternal assistant cover. In collective imagination, the profession sometimes remains assimilated to simple “childhood assistance”, far from the educational and emotional reality that implies.
The relationship therefore requires Evaluate this function better with the public in general. This could pass through information campaigns, better communication on educational missions, but also local initiatives that give the voice to professionals.
The question of the times is also addressed: limiting the days of 12 hours or more, often incompatible with a balanced personal life, would be an important progress.
A choice of the company
Behind these tips, a question crosses the entire debate: what welcome do we want for our children? The Igas report recalls that the first years of life are decisive for cognitive and emotional development. Offer good condition to children’s lines is investing in the future.
Families expect accessible, quality and reassuring solutions. The conciliation between professional and family life is largely based on this often invisible bond in the educational chain.
The next government decisions will be strictly examined. Is it a simple technical adjustment to create more places or a real child support plan? In a context in which the needs explode and in which the lack of worried professionals, the updating of maternal assistants appears less as an option that a necessity.
Listen to the Aperitif Daronnes, the Madmoizelle show that wants to drop the taboos around parenting.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
