Supply and Demand for Child Care Services in Turkey
Despite increases in availability of center based child care and preschool services in Turkey over the last decade, both the supply of services and utilization remain low. There are regional disparities in availability and the majority of children and households remain unserved in terms of child care and preschool services. This report has collected and assessed information on the supply and demand for child care services in Turkey with the objective of identifying key constraints and opportunities to expand quality and affordable access. The analysis in this report shows that current utilization of child care services cannot be construed as lack of demand for services, but rather as a lack of demand for services at existing cost and price-quality structures. Existing services that respond to the needs of working mothers are mainly private services and tend to be more expensively priced than the willingness and ability to pay of the average household. For most women the difference between earnings and the cost of care is too low to justify joining the labor force and their willingness to pay for care does not cover the current median prices for child care and kindergarten services.
Summary: | Despite increases in availability of
center based child care and preschool services in Turkey
over the last decade, both the supply of services and
utilization remain low. There are regional disparities in
availability and the majority of children and households
remain unserved in terms of child care and preschool
services. This report has collected and assessed information
on the supply and demand for child care services in Turkey
with the objective of identifying key constraints and
opportunities to expand quality and affordable access. The
analysis in this report shows that current utilization of
child care services cannot be construed as lack of demand
for services, but rather as a lack of demand for services at
existing cost and price-quality structures. Existing
services that respond to the needs of working mothers are
mainly private services and tend to be more expensively
priced than the willingness and ability to pay of the
average household. For most women the difference between
earnings and the cost of care is too low to justify joining
the labor force and their willingness to pay for care does
not cover the current median prices for child care and
kindergarten services. |
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