Chilean Universal Nursery Project faces funding and legal debates

The Universal Nursery Project in Chile is facing uncertainty as it returns to the Chamber of Deputies. Deputy Zandra Parisi of the Partido de la Gente (PDG) has proposed modifying the financing formula, arguing against using Unemployment Insurance funds to finance the benefit. She suggested that the father's employer should also participate in the funding mechanism to avoid placing the cost of childcare primarily on female workers.

The government requires 78 votes to restore the funding formula after a setback in the Senate. The legislative debate also centers on the legal definition of the right holder. While the Senate approved that the right belongs to children under two years old, the Executive branch has argued that the right should remain with the worker, filing a reservation of constitutionality.

This distinction is significant: defining the child as the holder shifts the focus from a labor right intended to reconcile employment with family responsibilities to a broader protection of childhood development and social responsibility for care. The reform aims to move away from traditional labor codes that associate childcare exclusively with companies employing twenty or more women, seeking instead to promote co-responsibility between parents and society.