Childcare centres to receive higher hourly service rate from government

An interim agreement between the Childcare Centres Providers Association  and the Ministry of Finance will lead to an increase in the hourly rate paid by the government to childcare centres in order to further strengthen the standards of the service being offered, the ministry said today.

In a statement, the ministry said that an independent audit was currenly being carried out to assess the expenditure involved in the running of childcare centres.

Both parties agreed that they would enter into negotiations to sign a three-year agreement which will cover not only the remuneration which the government will be reimbursing the centres for the service given, but also ensuring the centres adopt international standards and best practices applicable in this sector.

Officials representing the Childcare Centres Providers Association, the Malta Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU), and the permanent secretary within the ministry for finance were the signatories of the interim agreement.