THE NURSERY SCHOOL, FROM THREE TO FIVE YEARS, WILL BE COMPULSORY EDUCATION IN FRANCE FROM THE NEXT COURSE

The French government announces that as of September, nursery school will be compulsory education after three years.

It is explained as a way to favor work-life balance and equal opportunities, so that parents can work without having to juggle their time and money, but our neighbors affirm that it only confirms a current reality: 98.5 per One hundred of the French children aged three to five years already go to school, although at the moment the school is compulsory from the age of six.

Compulsory schooling under penalty of fine

In France, primary and secondary education is free, neutral, secular and compulsory from six to 16 years. But the free public school after three years was a promise of President Emmanuel Macron. Almost a year ago I justified this measure to:

Recognize nursery school.
Ensure that all children have the same educational possibilities.
Encourage social promotion and work conciliation.
Enable more public places and generate jobs with the hiring of 800 teachers.

In Babies and more, why does France reduce the age of compulsory schooling to three years?

The great criticism made by the associations of parents of the neighboring country to the advancement of compulsory schooling, is that it is something symbolic, since it would only affect 25,000 children, since most of the children of three to five years are already enrolled in France.

In addition, the school is compulsory after three years also implies that parents have to pay fines of up to 750 euros, if they do not justify the absences of their children to class.

And not enrolling them at this age, can be punished with penalties of up to six months in jail and 7,500 euros of fine.

Schooling in Spain and the rest of Europe

Deciding to take our children so young to kindergarten is not easy, but it is necessary many times to guarantee work and family reconciliation.

Here in Spain, where education is also compulsory from six to 16 years old, but free from the age of three, there are parents looking for more personalized alternatives so as not to have to leave children so many hours in a school. Although it is not always easy to achieve.

In Babies and more Alternative to nursery school and its conventionalism: mothers by day and personalized attention

And so, we have the second highest early school dropout rate in the EU, something that our government intended to change with educational reforms, although it does not seem that they can be carried out.

In the rest of Europe, only in Hungary do children start from three years of age to school and most of the rest of the countries, delay compulsory incorporation at six years, even at seven, in the case of countries like Finland , Estonia and Sweden.

It seems clear that the real cause of taking our children so soon to school is due to a need to reconcile work and family. And more and more ahead. Madrid has already announced that from September the enrollment of nursery schools will also be free from zero to three years.

In Babies and more, do we have to go to daycare to get ready for school?

And any financial aid that benefits or helps families in parenting is always welcome. But, most parents would prefer not to leave our babies in a nursery, even if it is free, but to take care of them for as long as possible, thanks to broader maternity and paternity leave.

Because children's first years of life are key to their emotional and social development and parents want to be with them. Do you think so?