At least 10 Social Security nurseries in the state are at risk of closing when their contracts expire on December 31, 2026, warns Elías Dájer Fadel, president of the Association of Private Schools in Yucatán and state representative of the National Working Group of IMSS Subcontracted Nurseries.
This would be due to a “delayed and unsustainable” payment scheme that threatens the continuity of the service for more than 1,200 children in Yucatán.
Dájer Fadel explains that for decades, the IMSS subcontracted nursery services to schools with an educational focus.
This was financed with 1% of the payrolls that companies are required by law to pay, with the fee being updated according to inflation and wages, as established by the Acquisitions Law when labor costs exceed 35% of the contract.
Since 2018, he says, the Institute has only recognized inflation and stopped incorporating the actual increase in operating costs: “Today they pay us 43% of what is necessary; they expect us to provide the same service we did eight years ago with less than half the resources.”
The imbalance is such that while the cost of providing the service has increased 132%, the IMSS fee has only increased 42%; the payment per child went from the equivalent of 1.5 monthly minimum wages in 2018 to just 0.65 currently.
The academic and leader emphasizes that this policy remains in place despite the fact that the increase in the minimum wage generated higher income for the IMSS from the 1% payroll contribution, and that in recent years more than 300 subcontracted nurseries have already closed nationwide, of which 12 are in Yucatán.
“The institute itself reports ‘savings’ of more than 18 billion pesos annually in the nursery insurance program, more than 90 billion pesos accumulated over seven fiscal years, resources that by law belong to the companies that pay them and should return in the form of nursery services, not remain in an unknown destination,” he points out.
Less Capacity
With the expected closure of the 10 nurseries, he explains, Yucatán would go from 35 subcontracted centers in 2021 to only 13 after 2026, a reduction of nearly 60% of installed capacity and the accumulated loss of 22 nurseries in five years.
“Working families will lose more than 1,200 additional spaces, which will be added to the 1,400 spots already lost in 2021; we are talking about approximately half of the state’s early childhood education system,” he says.
In Yucatán alone, he estimates, the closure of these facilities would mean 16.6 million pesos per month would no longer be distributed for childcare, education, food, and medical care services.
Damage to Education
Nearly 200 million pesos per year that Yucatán companies have already contributed would no longer benefit children and their parents.
Beyond the economic impact, Dájer Fadel emphasizes the educational and social damage.
“An early childhood education program that has received international awards and maintains satisfaction levels of 98% among user families is being dismantled.”
“Care provided by doctors, nurses, nutritionists, and educators who have personally monitored the development of children in Yucatán is being lost.”
Impact on Mothers
He also warns that the reduction in available spaces will directly affect women’s participation in the workforce, since women are the ones who predominantly assume childcare responsibilities at home.
According to the interviewee, the IMSS uses two arguments for not updating the fee: that the law does not allow it to index payments to minimum wages and that it does not have sufficient resources to increase the rate.
“Both are false,” he responds. “It is not essential to use the minimum wage; the annual increase in income from the nursery insurance program itself could be used as a reference, meaning the same 1% payroll contribution paid by companies.”
“Failing to seek alternative mechanisms is, in itself, an act of irresponsibility,” he states.
Regarding the alleged lack of resources, he recalls the surpluses reported by the IMSS: “In its reports to the Executive and Legislative branches, it recognizes savings of more than 18 billion pesos every year in nurseries.”
“With only 3 billion pesos, the fee for the 650 nurseries awarded contracts nationwide could be increased by 43%, while still leaving 15 billion pesos in surplus, of which 80% should by law be allocated to operating the service.”
Since 2024, he explains, representatives of subcontracted nurseries have requested dialogue to correct the undercapitalization of the model, without receiving a substantive response.
“Faced with the refusal, many service providers prefer to close responsibly rather than cut corners and put the safety and development of babies at risk.”
Regarding the alternatives the IMSS would have to serve beneficiary families, Dájer Fadel considers that the options are limited.
“The Institute could redistribute children among the few nurseries that remain, but with only 13 centers operating from January onward and growing demand, what will be generated are years-long waiting lists. Working mothers and fathers will be left without the service for which their companies have already paid.”
At the same time, he recalls, the federal government is promoting the transition toward the new Early Childhood Education and Care Centers (CECI), but progress has been slow.
“To meet the national goal of 1,000 CECIs, 25 would have to be inaugurated every month; at this point, only one has been launched. The gap is enormous.”
The businessman considers that the issue is neither technical nor minor, but structural: “What is at stake is whether the resources that companies contribute to Social Security actually return as services for their workers or disappear into opacity.”
“In Yucatán, half of our children’s early childhood education is at risk. We cannot look the other way.”
Source: yucatan
