6,400 families benefiting from free childcare scheme

6,400 families are benefiting from the government’s free childcare scheme, now in its third year, up from the initial 1,800 beneficiaries, education minister Evarist Bartolo said on Monday.

During a visit to a childcare centre in Naxxar, Bartolo said that the government would be investing a further €12 million in the scheme this year, as more families are expected to enroll in the initiative.

The free childcare scheme used in Malta is being adopted as a model by a number of European Union countries, with the European Commission itself commenting on the scheme’s success.

“One result of this success is the increasing number of women who are choosing to enter the workforce,” Bartolo said. “Others benefiting from the scheme are attending training or education programmes.”