Problems of coordination and differences in the modalities of care of the National Child Care and Development Network affect the management and quality of the services provided, according to the latest State of the Nation Report 2017.

During 2016, the Care Network benefited 52,190 children, with wide cantonal  dispersion.

The national average of the population from 0 to 6 years that serves this network is of 9.8%, with important territorial variations, ranging from 1.3% in Tarrazú and 22.6% in Goiocoechea, for example.

The report notes that there is very low coverage in most cantons and a concentration of the highest rates in Guanacaste and the Greater Metropolitan Area, which shows that there is no clear association between Poverty Indexes and the reach of the Network.

Another problem that affects the Care Network is that it is composed of many actors with very different characteristics and children’s centers of very different sizes, levels of involvement and forms of operation.

The research also reveals that the different members of the Network do not know exactly what they do, their target audience, capacity, focus and requirements.

This ignorance causes the institutions that make up the Network to end up competing for the same beneficiaries, leaving many other potential beneficiaries unattended.

Also, this lack of knowledge generates misunderstandings, continuous uncertainty and inaccurate information about suppliers, according to the report.

Estado de la Nación also adds that although the Care Network is intended to be a universal policy, at present it is clearly focused on poor families and extreme poverty, which represent 97% of the beneficiaries.