Edited by L. Ravagli and M. L. Maitino. S. Duranti and Questlab srl collaborated
The study is part of the joint IRPET-Tuscany Region activities for 2024, commissioned by the ESF Management Authority (Activity No. 3/2024). The research was conducted by Letizia Ravagli and Maria Luisa Maitino, in the Public Economics research area coordinated by Patrizia Lattarulo. Silvia Duranti and Questlab srl collaborated. Editing by Elena Zangheri.
In 2023 Tuscany Region introduced a new measure of economic support for families with children using early childhood education services, called “Nidi Gratis.”.
This paper aims to provide an initial assessment of the Nidi Gratis measure in Tuscany.
The first part presents a summary review of the literature on studies evaluating the effects of early childhood education services.
The second part of the paper proposes a comparison of similar measures to that of Tuscany, adopted over time in other regions. Among the main results of the comparison are the wide spread of regional experiences, including in the South, and the greater amount of resources invested and the more consolidated experience such as in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Liguria. In practically all regions the contribution follows the fulfillment of an economic access requirement expressed in terms of ISEE, and the measure is financed, at least partially, with resources from the European Social Fund.
The third part of the paper is devoted to an assessment of the distributional impact of the Nidi Gratis measure and the National Daycare Bonus introduced in 2017, in Tuscany. The two measures are, therefore, evaluated jointly. The analyses show how measures supporting early childhood education services have positive effects on the disposable incomes of families belonging to the lower-middle part of the ISEE distribution, and their public financing reduces inequality in the income distribution.
The last part of the paper describes the results of a survey of a sample of women aged 25 to 55 living in Tuscany. The results show the reasons why mothers do not enroll their child in daycare are still often related to problems on the supply of services, on the one hand the lack of places or facilities, and on the other hand the overpriced fees and the need to have to advance the amounts, waiting for future reimbursement. In addition, according to what Tuscan mothers said, the likelihood that a woman will remain employed after the birth of a child increases if the child has attended daycare and if she has taken advantage of the Nidi Gratis measure. The survey shows, therefore, that access to the service is associated with mothers staying longer in the labor market.
