Four-Part Series "Investing in Our Children: Changing Child Care in America" Published by the Brattleboro Reformer March 29-April 19, 2003.

By Ellen Keelan, in collaboration with Windham Child Care Association

Permission for publication elsewhere is freely granted, so long as credit is given to Ellen Keelan, Windham Child Care Association, and the Brattleboro Reformer.

2. Investing in Our Children: U.S. Looks to France for Lessons in Early Education

Should families pay for early care and education, or is it the responsibility of society as a whole? Is the goal to prepare children for school, or to enable parents to work? And should someone other than parents be looking after young children in the first place?

While Americans continue to debate the why, how, and how much of early education, the French shake their heads in bewilderment. They sorted it all out in 1881, when a national law granted free education for all children from the age of two.

France's preschools, called "ecoles maternelles," were originally conceived as "cradles of democracy" where young children could gain the intellectual, emotional and social foundation they needed to begin lives as productive citizens. As the French Minister of Education has noted famously, "Everything, in sum, starts here."

France's commitment to "welcome and awaken every child" was reinforced after World War II, when repopulating and rebuilding communities became top priorities. Today, France's comprehensive system of children's programs -including universal preschool, subsidized child care, and a wide range of free pediatric health and family support services -is held as a shining example of what is possible.

"It's a system that says 'We care about children,'" says Windham Child Care Association Executive Director Elizabeth Christie, who took part in an informal study tour of preschools in France. "I saw happy children, well cared for, and staff who were confident and respected. There's a commitment to nurturing children and surrounding them with beauty."

That commitment is expressed through a government-funded system in which preschool teachers receive rigorous training - the equivalent of a master's degree in early education - and are paid as much as primary and elementary school teachers. That's in sharp contrast to the U.S., where most child care providers earn near poverty-level wages of under $13,0000 per year and training requirements vary widely from state to state.

France's high standards, along with a well thought-out national curriculum, ensure that young children receive education and care that is engaging and developmentally appropriate. It's no wonder that nearly 100% of France's three- to five-year-olds, as well as over a third of its two-year-olds, attend the voluntary schools.

"The quality of early education in France is very high," says Brigitte Mosenthal, of Hanover, New Hampshire, whose two oldest children spent their early years in her native France. "Centers have to maintain a certain standard of care and are patrolled constantly. Even the quality of the materials is extraordinary -everything from the paper and crayons children use to the snacks they eat. They're not eating crackers from a pack, but a hot meal, using real china and silverware."

And the French are clearly committed to keeping their preschools that way. Vermont Senator James Jeffords, who recently toured the French early care and education system, reports that it was considered "unthinkable" in France that a budget regarding taxes for schools would not be approved. "I was very struck and impressed by the commitment of the entire French community to provide high quality child care for all its citizens," says Jeffords. "There's no opposition to paying for care for young children in France," agrees Mosenthal. "It's something that's part of our culture."

High quality doesn't come cheap, but with a price tag of around $5,500 annually per child -virtually all covered by the national and local governments -France's costs are not out of line with American child care, which, according to a 1999 study, range from $1,200 in some rural areas to $8,300 in pricier suburbs, for care that's often mediocre or worse.

"It's true that people in France are paying more taxes, but they're getting more," argues Cheryl Mitchell, an Assistant Professor in the University of Vermont's Education Department and former Deputy Secretary of Vermont's Agency of Human Services under Governor Howard Dean. "Young families with young children can actually survive without working 60 hours a week."

In fact, those young families are supported long before their children ever set foot in a classroom. France's generous parental leave policies enable parents to stay home with a newborn for at least four months at nearly full pay. Many larger employers offer benefits that far exceed this minimum. Parents may take an additional three years of unpaid leave with a guarantee that their job or its equivalent will be waiting for them.

The U.S., on the other hand -the only industrialized nation in the world with no paid leave policy at all -offers only 12 weeks of unpaid leave.

To further support stay-at-home parents in what is considered the essential job of raising children, the French government also gives them a monthly stipend. State-run drop-in centers fill in whatever gaps remain by providing supervised care by the hour, giving parents a break and toddlers an opportunity to socialize.

For those parents who do choose to return to work sooner, state-run nurseries and well-trained home-based child care providers take children up to age three. Both methods of care are heavily subsidized, so that no family pays more than 14% of their income for child care.

The result of this integrated system is that, unlike in the U.S., parents in France are able to make child-rearing choices based on their values and beliefs, rather than out of financial duress.

"It's much easier for parents to find child care in France," says Mosenthal. "If you're working, you're guaranteed a place."

"Many families in Vermont spend more on child care each month than they do on the mortgage for their house," adds Jeffords. "I would like to see more federal funds devoted to helping our nation's families cope with the high costs of quality child care."

"I'll be doing everything I can to ensure that the United States ranks with France in its commitment to early childhood education, but it certainly is an uphill fight. I'm very disappointed that the Bush Administration places a higher priority on more tax cuts than on investing in our children and our nation's child care system," concludes Jeffords. "This is one issue worth fighting for."