The first two alternative family-type care services (mini-crèches) have been created. These are “Micul Odoraş”, created by Mariana Grigorenco in Balti, and “Little Explorers”, created by Ana Axenti in Chisinau, with the support of the International Labor Organization in Moldova and the Association of Women Entrepreneurs in Moldova, IPN reports.

Alternative childcare services are the solution for diversifying services and expanding nursery places for children up to three years old, when they can go to kindergarten. In 2023, around 150,000 women were inactive in the labor market due to family responsibilities and a lack of childcare. Groups of nurseries for children up to two years old and kindergartens are insufficient in every 10th community. Only 19% of children up to two years old attend a nursery, according to data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection.

In cooperation with other internal and external partners, the Ministry has come up with several proposals and amendments to the regulatory framework in order to ensure demographic resilience, including by supporting parents, especially women, to combine work and family life. Thus, the normative framework for the organization of alternative care services for children up to three years old was developed.

Thus, this year, with the support of the development partners, the first service created by the employer at Orange company and the family-type crèches were piloted.

The Ministry has launched the platform serviciialternative.gov.md, where all information and updates related to alternative childcare services for children up to three years old can be found. It provides details on the legislation, guidelines for the implementation of services, resources for parents and employers.