Educating and caring for children aged 0-3 years in rural Galicia: The experience of the “Casas Nido”

Abstract

The initiative called “Casas Niño” (“Casas Nido” in Castilian, or home-based childcare businesses in English), promoted in 2013 by the Xunta de Galicia (Regional Government of Galicia), refers to a childcare model for children aged 0-3 years old in rural Galicia. It is associated with the work-life balance project “Demographic Revitalisation Plan 2013-2016, Horizon 2020,” which seeks to develop employability, promote the work-life balance for women, and retain and attract the young population in rural municipalities. This article reports on the research carried out with the objective of knowing, describing, and analysing the nature and scope of the initiative from its beginnings as a project implemented in 2016 to the present. The methodological process is based on the analysis of different documentary sources and on the information obtained from a questionnaire, answered by a high percentage of the owners of the houses. Some results obtained indicate that: the project increased women’s employability in rural areas, thus achieving one of the regional government’s objectives; joint education and childcare in the Casa Nido is not the main reason for starting a project nor is there any evidence that it helps to reduce rural depopulation.