Page 4 - IDEA Study 4 2017 Public financing for pre-school places

a professional career, and the benefits of pre-schooling for children from socially
disadvantaged backgrounds in terms of socialization and preparation for school, then
public funding for pre-school places proves decidedly profitable.
 One of the causes of pre-school shortage at the local level is that these gains to public
budgets are diverse in character and are therefore not as clearly visible as the direct
costs involved. A significant proportion of the gains are made from mothers' increased
income, via the tax and other contributions they then pay throughout their working
lives. Another cause of the current problem is that while most costs associated with
publicly funded pre-school places are managed by local authorities, the benefits are
primarily felt at the level of the national budget and within families themselves.
 The present-day division of powers and responsibilities between central government
and local authorities makes effective coordination difficult. The shortage of pre-school
places is further complicated by a lack of accurate information about the gap between
supply and demand at the local level, and by the fact that local authorities are unable to
reliably predict future fluctuation in demand. Changes to the regulatory processes in
these areas would be desirable.

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