Meet Marie. She is 6 years old, and was born and raised in Marseille. She is in Cours Preparatoire, otherwise known as CP, which is the French equivalent to 1st grade. CP is the first year of primary school, however Marie has already been in school for 3 years.
When she was 3, she started Ecole Maternelle, or preschool. While Ecole Maternelle is optional, nearly all 3, 4, and 5 year olds attend (Neuman x). Most importantly, Ecole Maternelle is free. In fact, France instituted free universal preschool in the 1880's (Neuman 5). Ecole Maternelle is an all day school, going from 8:30-4:30, making it possible for both parents to work without paying for daycare, except on Wednesday's when there is no school. To help cover the cost of this once-per-week day care, there is a family allowance from the government.
For Marie's mother, she returned to work when Marie was 3. French mothers get 16 weeks paid maternity leave, which starts 6 weeks before the birth and then 10 weeks after (more for twins). This is for their first two children. For the birth of a third child, it extends to 18 weeks. Maternity leave, pre and postnatally, is mandatory! After this time period, leave is available to either parent until the child's third birthday, or as long as at least two children at home need care. "French parents who have two children are given an allowance of $430 a month for the first three years of their children’s lives whether they work or not. If a parent has three children, the allowance doubles. Parents who work part time or stay home with two or more children are given special subsidies for baby sitting and or family day care centers with licensed sitters and child care providers" (Fraad, par. 5).
When she was 3, she started Ecole Maternelle, or preschool. While Ecole Maternelle is optional, nearly all 3, 4, and 5 year olds attend (Neuman x). Most importantly, Ecole Maternelle is free. In fact, France instituted free universal preschool in the 1880's (Neuman 5). Ecole Maternelle is an all day school, going from 8:30-4:30, making it possible for both parents to work without paying for daycare, except on Wednesday's when there is no school. To help cover the cost of this once-per-week day care, there is a family allowance from the government.
For Marie's mother, she returned to work when Marie was 3. French mothers get 16 weeks paid maternity leave, which starts 6 weeks before the birth and then 10 weeks after (more for twins). This is for their first two children. For the birth of a third child, it extends to 18 weeks. Maternity leave, pre and postnatally, is mandatory! After this time period, leave is available to either parent until the child's third birthday, or as long as at least two children at home need care. "French parents who have two children are given an allowance of $430 a month for the first three years of their children’s lives whether they work or not. If a parent has three children, the allowance doubles. Parents who work part time or stay home with two or more children are given special subsidies for baby sitting and or family day care centers with licensed sitters and child care providers" (Fraad, par. 5).
When ready to re-enter the workforce, the mother (or father) can go back to the SAME job at the SAME salary as when they left (LeBon). Marie's mother was able to return to her teaching position.
Meet Zoe. She is also 6 years old, and is in the 1st grade at an elementary school in Ithaca, NY. Before Kindergarten, Zoe attended preschool for 3 days per week, mornings only. Zoe's mom chose stay home after Zoe was born, as the cost of full time day care was almost as much as she was making as a teacher. Her mom taught at a small private school with less than 50 employees, thus she was unable to qualify for the Family Medical Leave Act. Even if she did qualify, the 12 weeks she could have taken would have been unpaid. Zoe's parents strongly believe in early childhood education, and researched preschools for her when she was 3. Their income was too high to qualify for Head Start, but still not enough to pay for all day preschool. So Zoe attended preschool Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9-12.
When Zoe turned 5 and started kindergarten, her mom returned to work. Since it had been 5 years since she worked, she had to find an entry-level teaching position.
Thoughts:
France and the United States share a belief in equal educational opportunity for all children, recognizing it as critical to an individual’s success in life and to society’s continued vitality. However I feel the US lags far behind in France in it's commitment to providing early childhood education for all. In the US, only 45% of three- to five-year olds from lower-income families are enrolled in some kind of preschool program, compared with 75% from higher-income families. (Neuman ix). This system continues to work against those children from low-income homes, including immigrant and non-English-speaking families.
While there is a move towards Universal Pre-K in many states, there is also opposition. It's time the US proves it's commitment to early childhood education by implementing voluntary Universal Preschool.
France also supports it's children by supporting women. While I know this is due to the socialist government, I can't help but notice how the family policies in France help women return to work and earn money for themselves, which means they can provide more for their children. The high maternal income and vast array of social programs means that French children are simply better off than most children around the world. France has one of the lowest child poverty rates, which is only 6% compared to 17% in the U.S. (Chrittendon 27).
When Zoe turned 5 and started kindergarten, her mom returned to work. Since it had been 5 years since she worked, she had to find an entry-level teaching position.
Thoughts:
France and the United States share a belief in equal educational opportunity for all children, recognizing it as critical to an individual’s success in life and to society’s continued vitality. However I feel the US lags far behind in France in it's commitment to providing early childhood education for all. In the US, only 45% of three- to five-year olds from lower-income families are enrolled in some kind of preschool program, compared with 75% from higher-income families. (Neuman ix). This system continues to work against those children from low-income homes, including immigrant and non-English-speaking families.
While there is a move towards Universal Pre-K in many states, there is also opposition. It's time the US proves it's commitment to early childhood education by implementing voluntary Universal Preschool.
France also supports it's children by supporting women. While I know this is due to the socialist government, I can't help but notice how the family policies in France help women return to work and earn money for themselves, which means they can provide more for their children. The high maternal income and vast array of social programs means that French children are simply better off than most children around the world. France has one of the lowest child poverty rates, which is only 6% compared to 17% in the U.S. (Chrittendon 27).
