Consumption of Public Childcare and Educational Services: an End-User Perspective

Public childcare and educational services are complex services resulting in a relationship that is established between a supplier and a consumer of such services. In 2002 the European Council meeting in Barcelona, established that by 2010, the Member States should develop childcare services for at least 90% of children between 3 years old and the mandatory school age. This will stimulate the consumption of public services for the care and education of children. This article aims to analyze the consumption of public childcare and educational services in Romanian kindergartens. The first part provides conceptual clarification on consumption and consumers of public childcare and educational services and the second part assessed the rights of children and parents to such services. The last part presents some of the results of a questionnaire based exploratory survey conducted in Bucharest on the quality of services provided in preschool education from the perspective of users: parents of preschool children. The results show that the existence of legal regulations in the field, the access to quality services and the cost of these services represent key elements to determine the consumption of such services.public services, childcare and educational services in kindergartens, consume⁲ s rights, public childcare and educational services consumption

Perceptions regarding the quality of life among beneficiaries of home and residential care services

The article aims to present the results of a qualitative research conducted among elderly persons (aged 65 years and more) who receive home and residential care in Romania. The research objectives were to collect perceptions with regard to the overall appreciation of the quality of life and the way the quality of services received influence elderly’s image with regard to their own life. The scarcity of data on quality of life of dependent older persons recommended the use of qualitative methods. Data collection included ten semi-structured interviews with beneficiaries of social and healthcare services. Findings show that the quality of life is a multidimensional concept, very often related to the health status, the level of autonomy, the social contacts, and the existence of a social support network. The results have implications for public policy makers, and supplement the knowledge with regard to the quality of life in older age

Transition to Bioeconomy: Perceptions and Behaviors in Central and Eastern Europe

The implementation of bio-economy, respectively the transition from a fossil fuel-based development to an economy that uses biological resources and innovation in biological sciences requires the formulation of new strategies and policies focused on comprehensive analyzes. The aim of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of the concept and policies of bioeconomy and to analyze citizens' behaviors and perceptions about the development of bioeconomy in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The comparative vision has the role to in identifying differences and similarities between national systems and is captured by applying a cluster analysis. The data are from European official statistics – EUROSTAT, plus data collected under Eurobarometer 88.1, from the European Commission and European Parliament. The analysis of the data shows that there are differences between the countries considered, from the perspective of the socioeconomic context and also in terms of behaviors that support the bioeconomy. Further efforts are needed in the development of the bioeconomy to achieve both economic growth and employment opportunities as well as the development of behavior centered on the sustainability and resource efficiency of the resource

Quality of the ECEC Workforce in Romania: Empirical Evidence from Parents’ Experiences

The quality of the early childhood workforce is central to service provision in this area, being a major factor in determining children’s development over the course of their lives. Specific skills and competencies are expected from early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce. Well-trained staff from ECEC settings are an extremely important factor in providing high-quality services which will positively influence the outcomes of children. The present paper analyses the quality of early childhood education and care workforce from the parents’ perspective in the context of Romania’s early childhood reform agenda. A critical review of the specific situation of the early childhood system in relation to the workforce from this sector is made in the first part of the paper in order to highlight the complexity of this issue. In the second part, the authors will present the results of empirical research developed in 2017 using qualitative and quantitative methods in order to assess the activity of early childhood education and care staff. The main challenges in this field as they emerge from research will be analyzed, the findings having implications for policy-makers and practitioners in the field of ECEC services

Effects of the Family Solidarity on Romanian Left behind Children

In families that have at least one parent working outside the country’s borders, known in the literature as transnational families, family solidarity is undergoing changes. The aim of this paper is to explore the process of transforming family solidarity in the context of migration and to identify the effects of the family solidarity on children left behind. A qualitative research methodology was employed consisting in 24 in-depth interviews with parents and grandparents from transnational families, in the two Romanian regions with the highest number of children left behind and with high poverty rates. Our results show that the decrease of material and financial support provided from the parent left abroad has great implications for the feeling of unity with the family and for the material and emotional well-being of children. The risk factors for the children are a lack of financial support, which translates to material deprivation and creates the context for school dropout, lack of emotional support, and poor closeness between the child and departed parent, which relate to a disrupting emotional experience for the children. Findings provide new insights in capturing the relationship between family solidarity and the well-being of the child

Quality of Life of Children from Families Affected by Migration: The Role of Educational Policies

The problems of children from Romanian transnational families represent a current issue and one of great interest in the field of public policies that need to be developed in Romania in order to offer solutions that will lead to an increase in the quality of life within these families. This article reflects, based on the results of a survey among parents/grandparents who care for children from transnational families and two focus groups with authorities/organizations with a role in managing the problems of transnational families, the main issues faced by children from these families within education. The results obtained indicate an increased need for intervention in the following areas: support to avoid school dropout; education regarding the negative effects of drug, alcohol and other toxic substance consumption; and supervision in the completion of school assignments. All these problems influence the educational course of children and consequently the quality of life of all family members. This article offers support to decision makers in the field of educational policies to effectively manage the real problems of these families, highlighting the vital role of substantiating public policies based on scientific studies

Quality of the ECEC Workforce in Romania: Empirical Evidence from Parents’ Experiences

The quality of the early childhood workforce is central to service provision in this area, being a major factor in determining children’s development over the course of their lives. Specific skills and competencies are expected from early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce. Well-trained staff from ECEC settings are an extremely important factor in providing high-quality services which will positively influence the outcomes of children. The present paper analyses the quality of early childhood education and care workforce from the parents’ perspective in the context of Romania’s early childhood reform agenda. A critical review of the specific situation of the early childhood system in relation to the workforce from this sector is made in the first part of the paper in order to highlight the complexity of this issue. In the second part, the authors will present the results of empirical research developed in 2017 using qualitative and quantitative methods in order to assess the activity of early childhood education and care staff. The main challenges in this field as they emerge from research will be analyzed, the findings having implications for policy-makers and practitioners in the field of ECEC services

SMEs and the Circular Economy: From Policy to Difficulties Encountered During Implementation

Circular economy is a concept that currently received a particular attention due to its contribution to the European objectives related to economic development under restrictive environmental conditions, in other words, the implementation of circular economy activities is essential to maintain and increase the competitiveness of the European economy. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the concept of circular economy, of its different dimensions, and in the same time of the difficulties experienced by small and medium-sized enterprises in the process of implementing such activities, at national level. In order to achieve these objectives, data related to the activity of SMEs in Romania regarding circular economy, gathered within Flash Eurobarometer 441 coordinated by the European Commission during April 2016, were analysed. Although the European Union supports the green initiatives of small and medium-sized enterprises and encourages Member States to have similar behaviour, this paper concludes that national policies need to pay more attention to the training of workers and to support the development of the knowledge and professionalism, and concomitantly to reduce the degree of bureaucracy in assessing compliance of the activities carried out by SMEs in the field

Parental Role Changes in Romanian Transnational Families: Consequences of Migration

Even if there are consistent studies on the issue of transnational families, research is still needed to address the parental role changes in these families. The aim of this article was to identify the main changes in the parental roles of Romanian transnational families as a result of the parents’ labor migration. We used interviewing as the research method and directed content analysis to analyze the data. Purposive sampling was conducted in order to identify the interviewees. The results captured important role changes regarding the income provider role of the parent, but especially the role of emotional support provider that the parent should take on for the children. These findings highlight the need to develop specific measures to address the possible negative effects that affect these transnational families