This Thursday, many parents were unable to drop off their babies at the crèche. In question: the day of strike at the call of the CGT to demand an increase in wages with which certain personnel of the crèches have joined. This is not a first because on October 6, many early childhood professionals went on strike to denounce the lack of staff in nurseries and too low salaries. Other days of action having already taken place in the previous months.
Because today, nearly one in two collective crèches (48.6%) show a lack of staff, according to a survey carried out by the national family allowance fund (CNAF) published in July. And some parents who have been granted a crèche place for their child have to wait for recruitment to take place before they can start adapting their baby. A situation which is due to the increase in the places offered during the last decade while the recruitment of educators, childcare assistants and childcare workers has not followed.
“These jobs no longer attract because they are not paid well enough”
Blame it on the lack of attractiveness of these professions in recent years, according to Véronique Escames, co-secretary general of the National Union of Early Childhood Professionals. “These jobs are no longer attractive because they are not paid well enough. A childcare assistant starts at minimum wage (1,678.95 euros gross monthly). And she can hope for at best 2,200 euros gross at the end of her career, ”she explains.
To fight against the shortage of staff in nurseries, the first lever to operate would therefore be that of wages. “We first ask that the staff of the crèches receive the Ségur bonus of 183 euros monthly. Because during the Covid crisis, nursery staff were requisitioned by the prefects. We were judged as essential workers, but we had no recognition, ”said Julie Marty-Pichon, spokesperson for the collective No babies at the locker. Attributing certain advantages to these professionals would also be a factor of attractiveness, believes Véronique Escames: “We should guarantee a place in a crèche for all early childhood professionals as well as social housing in their town. »
Changing the perception of these professions, an imperative
To encourage vocations, it also seems necessary to improve working conditions. “We must revise upwards the supervision rate by ensuring that a professional takes care of five babies at a time. For today it is one in five for the smallest babies, but one in eight for those who walk. At mealtimes, we have no choice but to keep the children waiting, many of whom are screaming because they are hungry,” explains Julie Marty-Pichon. This measure, if taken, would involve closing places. A decision that would be difficult to assume politically.
Another imperative: to revalue the image of the profession, which suffers from a priori. “Many French people think that our role is to make babies play and change their nappies. A communication campaign would be welcome to demonstrate our role in the socialization and awakening of children as well as to identify a disability early on,” suggests Véronique Escames. According The Parisian, a campaign should also be launched by the government at the beginning of 2023. It will be geared towards men to encourage them to embrace the profession. Professionals also claim to be able to free up time to go more to colleges and careers fairs in order to talk about their profession and thus encourage vocations.
Open training places, an emergency
To attract more young people, it also seems necessary to open more training centers for early childhood professions. “Because some students don’t have a school in their department. While we need to train professionals everywhere in the territory, ”underlines Véronique Escames. “We must also guarantee that all professionals have access to continuing education once a year. Because it is essential in our job to update our knowledge”, adds Julie Marty-Pichon.
For its part, the government has already advanced a pawn to solve this problem of staff shortage in nurseries. It passed a decree published in July 2022 which authorizes the recruitment of non-qualified employees more easily and their training in-house. A remedy that does not convince professionals. “Recruiting unqualified people is implying that our jobs are worthless,” says Julie Marty-Pichon. Some professionals fear that unqualified staff do not comply with all health and safety rules, which would be detrimental to children. “We don’t have time to train unqualified people while taking care of the children, when our structures are already under stress,” adds Véronique Escames.
If other measures are not taken quickly by the government, Julie Marty-Pichon foresees a worsening of recruitment problems in the years to come: “In 2030, 40% of childcare auxiliaries will retire. If we do not find solutions, we will have to close places in crèches. »