"A more equitable, sustainable, and respectful regulation for daycare centers." This is the request made to the Municipality of Cagliari by Assonidi Confcommercio Sud Sardegna during the council's Public Education Committee's review of the text.
"We welcome the discussion," says President Claudio Vicentini, "but we believe the regulation needs to be improved to ensure a truly integrated, fair, and sustainable system, respecting the fundamental role played by affiliated private educational institutions."
According to Assonidi, the first step involves adjusting the terminology: "It's appropriate to talk about 'educational services for early childhood,'" explains Vicentini, "to properly represent the diversity of the offerings and the structure of the integrated system required by the legislation."
The topic of integration between the public and private sectors was also central to the comments. "It's not enough to simply state it: we need concrete policies that enhance all facilities and ensure equal dignity in the educational offering. Today, however, we are facing significant challenges, starting with an economic disparity that risks creating second-rate and second-rate facilities. For years, private and contracted daycare centers have operated with similar resources per child, while simultaneously requesting fee adjustments. However, the latest municipal tender established a fee of €1,111.87 per month per child for municipal daycare centers, compared to approximately €650 for contracted private facilities. This difference is even more significant considering that contracted facilities can rely on free public buildings, utilities, and extraordinary maintenance paid by the administration, while private providers must cover these costs themselves. Given equal employment contracts and required educational standards, this situation creates a structural imbalance that jeopardizes the sustainability of contracted facilities."
Assonidi also highlights the need to strengthen families' freedom of choice. Among the proposals put forward: the establishment of a permanent discussion forum, a systematic assessment of families' needs, and a comprehensive review of the sustainability of the agreement system.
