More preschool care needed: report

The report titled "A Study to Encourage Child Care Facilities in Turkey," stated three key reasons why preschooling is an important measure in society. It draws on the fact that women are held solely responsible for children in Turkey and therefore sacrifice working and taking active roles in public life in order to raise their children. Sending their children to preschool will give women more time to develop themselves and become more active citizens participating in public life, the report stated.

Due to current preschool education fees, only a select number of privileged children have the means to attend, which creates an imbalance between peers when they first start primary school. The report points to the equal opportunities free preschooling will bring to children without select individuals receiving head starts. The importance of preschool education serves in the early intellectual and practical development of children. The ultimate concern of the study stated that learning problems can be detected early on and addressed before their formal education begins, bringing great benefits to children.

The current limitations in preschool daycare in Turkey, according to the study, derive from the fact that optional preschool nurseries available in Turkey are run by independent organizations that are out of reach for many families that do not have the financial means to send their children. While the preschool education supplied by the National Ministry of Education, or MEB, has been developing and becoming more widespread across the country in recent years, it is not enough to cater for the extensive demand for this facility. "The budget set aside by the government for child care is far from enough," read the report. Meanwhile, the comparison made in the study between Turkish preschool facilities and other European countries’, points out Turkey’s poor standing.

Statistics show EU member states have an average of 33 percent of children between the ages of three to six attending preschool. By 2010 these EU states aim to increase that figure to 90 percent. Countries such as Demark and Switzerland are leading examples of countries that have established a developed preschool care system that the report suggests Turkey use as an example.