Universal childcare: the government will receive a proposal to make it free within three months.

BarcelonaIt is one of the most repeated demands among families and was also one of the key points in the investiture agreement of Salvador IllaAnd now the possibility of making childcare—the 0-3 age group—free for everyone seems a little closer to becoming a reality. This Wednesday, the Catalan government, the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), and the Comuns party established a group of experts to analyze the education system for this stage with the goal of making it "free and universal." The technical group will be made up of professionals from different disciplines and, in just three months, must present a proposal to the government to promote free access to the 0-3 age group throughout the country. In a statement, the Department of Education explained that the technical group's role will be "to analyze early childhood education in the first cycle to address the challenge of making it free and universal," and emphasized that this is one of the commitments made in the investiture agreements with ERC and Comuns.

In this way, the experts are tasked with studying the current model of the first cycle of early childhood education and analyzing the various aspects involved in its management, such as funding, the legal framework, and its staff, in order to then make a proposal that "fulfills" the commitment to recognize the educational nature of the 0-territory stage. Once the proposal is received, the Department of Education will have to consider how the experts' conclusions are implemented.

"Giant step"

At the formation of the professional group, the Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Esther Niubó, asserted that the agreement with ERC and Comuns "will allow us to take a giant step forward in recognizing a stage that is not compulsory, but is fundamental for children's future." In this regard, Niubó acknowledged that it is during this stage "that language and speech develop." "We must be able to offer all children the same opportunities to achieve this learning," she affirmed. For his part, ERC deputy Jordi Albert argued that the pact is a clear advance in equal opportunities and social cohesion, "not only for children, but for all of society," and proudly pointed out that in the previous legislature, the government led by the Republicans It has already established that the E2 will be free. in public nurseries. The president of the Commons in the Catalan Parliament, Jéssica Albiach, also expressed her satisfaction with the agreement, insisting that the working group's priority should be "addressing diversity with inclusive education, promoting community-based parenting to contribute to social cohesion, and recognizing care as a pillar that sustains life."