not, because people have nothing left to eat and are hungry for
work and paychecks.
Death on a massive scale for America – more than in Vietnam,
more than on 9/11 every single day for weeks – might not even
make a dent in equalizing the distribution of domestic work between
male and female partners. It might not change a thing about easing
access, improving the quality and reducing the cost of child care. It
might not help the lives of women at all.
But it should. Everyone running for office should advocate for
the Norway Way: each child gets a payment from the government
of 5,000-6,400 kroner, per month, every month (higher amount till
age 6) until the age of 18. That is family support, in my book. Both
parents receive 100% of parental benefits for up to 49 weeks after a
birth; the father is required to take at least 14 weeks or the couple
cannot claim those weeks. Kindergartens charge fees: in Oslo the
current rate is $325 a month, with siblings charged only a third to
a half of that. The poor are charged very small sums, or none at all.
Kindergartens are standardized across the country. Every child is
guaranteed a place, beginning when the child turns 1 and progressing
till age 6, when grade school begins. Kindergarten-leading teachers
must have bachelors’ degrees in early childhood education. Staffing is
phenomenal. Facilities are clean, bright and cheerful. Grade schools
DOCTORS' LOUNGE
and high schools in Norway have no tuition fees, and university fees
are a tiny fraction of those in the US.
Cataclysmic events can change things: peoples’ eyes are opened.
If the devastation COVID-19 has brought improves only one thing
– much better, much cheaper, much more accessible, effective,
“universal” would be my goal for child care – it would rebuild this
economy and get millions of Americans back to work. Repeatedly,
research on the lifetime effectiveness of intensive, inventive, intelligent
early childhood education comes to the same conclusion: it
makes better citizens, better readers, better artists, better people.
Kindergarteners are healthier than children kept out of school.
As always, partisan clashes might not allow any massive help
to the parents of this country. But those running for office should
shout from the rooftops their plans to help every parent – because
it’s the right thing to do for children, business owners, and exhausted
front-line workers everywhere. If you want a woman to work,
get her child care just like Norway’s. It’s an investment in raising
children who know what community feels like. It’s a great way to
get elected, too.
Dr. Barry is working at various Norton CMA offices as a “float/fill-in” only position.
She is a clinical associate professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine,
Department of Medicine.
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JUNE 2020 37