The crèche crisis

More than half of all families use childcare. Every place is as cheap as possible for the government. But how do children, childcare workers and parents pay the price for this? And what can childcare really mean for young families? From the outset, Celia Groothedde has been fighting for improvements in childcare. The crèche crisis is a sharp chronicle of an announced crisis, but she also offers solutions. 'Celia Groothedde knows better than anyone where the structural problems of childcare are and how they can be solved. The crèche crisis is a must-read for anyone who has children or has ever been a child themselves.' – Elisabeth Lucie Baeten 'Celia Groothedde sounds the alarm about the crèche crisis. She is a bundle of bubbling energy, wrapped in a passionate Flemish parliamentarian, writer and mother. She speaks about what she knows and she knows about what she speaks.' – Marc Van Ranst 'Childcare needs politicians who get their teeth into the subject. Politicians who want to shape childcare based on the needs of young children and their parents; politicians who are convinced of the importance of a strong pedagogical environment for the all-important first thousand days.' – Anne Lambrechts Celia Groothedde (1977) is a Flemish representative in Brussels for Groen. She has written books and columns on young parenthood, family, emancipation and feminism. In parliament, she specialises in care, young family policy, combating poverty, equal opportunities and childcare. In parliament, she brought the crisis in childcare to light.