Thousands of children in day care while parent stays at home
Sailas: subjective entitlement to day care weakens bond between parents and children
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An estimated 10,000 children in municipal day care have at least one parent who does not work outside the home.
Helsingin Sanomat has learned that in Espoo there are about 800 such children, and in Oulu there are 600.
The parents who are staying at home are usually on parental leave after the birth of a younger child, or on a sabbatical from work, or are unemployed. Nevertheless, the legal entitlement to day care for all children under school age guarantees them a place in the municipal day care system.
Now some parents have been calling for weekend day care, because they want to spend some free time without their children. In Helsinki the response to such requests has been that no space is available. Weekend and evening day care is available to parents with exceptional working hours.
Ministry of Finance official Raimo Sailas, who has a reputation for expressing strong views, wants to limit the entitlement to day care. He says that in addition to the high costs, the current system confuses the responsibility of the individual and that of society, while weakening parents’ feeling of responsibility for their children.
He also laments that the issue has been made taboo in Finland, inhibiting any real debate.
In Sailas’ view, a mother on maternity leave taking care of her baby at home should be expected to look after her older pre-school children as well.
Legislation that came into effect in 1996 obliged local authorities to offer municipal day care to all children under school age. Sailas says that comprehensive day care is a good example of a typical pattern in a welfare state: when a service or benefit is offered, there are always more people wanting to avail themselves of it than orignally anticipated.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 30.8.2004 - TODAY |
 Thousands of children in day care while parent stays at home |
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