The content and quality of child care and kindergarten in Hungary

1
The content and quality of child care and
kindergarten in Hungary

• Maria Herczog Ph.D.
• Budapest 10 June 2005

2
Child care and its context

• Demography birth rate, working parents,
  maternity allowanses (GYES, GYED)
• Aim of day care subsituting families,
  preparation for schooll, needs of children
• Creche (nursery), kindergarten. Other forms of
  care
• Child protection children at risk, roma
  children, children with special needs,
  recognition, referral

3
Demography and social environment

• Very low birth rate
• live births 1949 190 398
• 1970 151 819
• 1990 125 679
• 2003 94 647
• Number of children 0-3 284 919
• Number of children 3-6 287 348

4
Social environment

• Both parents working since 50s n many families
  
• Well developed culture of day care
• Child care allowance (GYES) 3 years paid since
  1967 granted for evrybdy since 1996 (earlier as a
  socal benefit only) - 10 years for special
  needs childrens parents min. old age pension
  167 000 parent hardly any men (100 Eur/month)
• Child care fee (GYED) 2 years 70 of previous
  income with max. double of min. wage. with
  180 days insurance in advance 77 900 parent.
  Very few men (av. 200 Eur/month)

5
Aim of child care

• Controversial messages
• day care is a neccessary but not perfect
  soulution
• for children? Which form? Optimal age? Lenght?
• substituting parents while working, prepration
  for
• school,
• developmental needs of children -

6
Care for 0-3 years old

• Chreche, nursery 10 of children 0-3
• in 515 institutions run by the local
  authorities, 386 non-profit, 131 for profit
• 29 422 children,
• Very few placements for special needs children
• Home based care family day care - few

7
Care for 3-6 years old

• 327 500 children in kindergartens 86,9 of the
  age group
• 4611 kindergartens
• 14 794 groups
• 183 special needs childrens group 4611
  children
• 22,1 child/group
• 10,4 child/kindergarten teacher

8
Quality of care

• Good traditions, long history
• Changing ideology play, education, disciplining,
  
• Participation of children and parents
• Evaluation, satsfaction
• Preparation for school?
• Best interest of children?

9
Special features and problems

• Roma children exclusion, inclusion, Head start,
  Sure Start
• Children with special needs integration,
  acceptence (e.g. dietary needs)
• Ways of deisciplining corporal punishment, at
  risk, referral, co-operation with other agencies

10
Country wide Parent survey on kindergartens

• Choices how t choose, can they choose? for
  53 n choice
• Closeness and the kindergarten teacher is the
  most important factor
• Mothers ae the main contact persons ess
  information than needed
• ¾ of families visited by the kindergarten
  teachers

11
Survey on kindergartens

• Parents participation
• 45 takes an active part financial and in in
  kind
• Few special servces, felxibility
• Use of computers controversial
• Who is the main carer?
• What kind of responsibility?
• Satisfacton 89 very satisfied

12
After school care, other forms of care

• Declining service provision since 1989
• Great demand
• Lack of financial opportunities,
• Lack of roper information, evaluation on the
  results of the unmet needs
• Family and community responsibility and role
  never clarified clearly
• Changing social environment,